Dance, Dragon Dance!
by Locksoli
Summary: On one hand, I died and probably left a bunch of grieving relatives in my old world. Everybody I loved was gone, and I was never gonna see them again… On the other hand? DRAGONITE! I'M GETTING A DRAGONITE! WOOHOOOOOOOOO! (SI/OC, reincarnation fic)
1. The Power of Voodoo

**For starters, I had this idea in my head before I even had the idea for my first fic. The push for me putting it down now was Ultra-Necrozma and his Nuzlocke ruining powers. This fic will have some shades of the manga version, Generations, and obviously it'll be a mashup between the world of the anime and the games. **

**Second, I updated the first several chapters of FnR, they're now cleaner and less confusing to read (at least from my perspective). This is for a possible transport to AO3, but that's maybe a month out.**

**Now then, without further adieu... **

* * *

The day I died had started out pretty much like any normal day. After getting back home from working the graveyard shift, I decided I'd go down to a local convenience store for a bottle of coke, a bag of chips, and maybe some skittles. Yeah it _was _raining, but I brought an umbrella, so I should have been fine since it was _just_ a light rainstorm.

The last thing I _could_ think about was my granny, specifically a memory I had of her telling 6-year-old me that lightning never strikes the same place twice.

That knowledge really didn't mean anything as parts of my skin were charred to a crisp, my heart practically stopped, my brain jolted at the onset of a seizure, and my blood turned so hot that I was boiled alive from the inside. But it was nice that the last thing that went through my head was the sweet old woman that practically raised me for a couple of years. I guess that's my only peace of mind as I die huh?

Oh, I guess I find out whether or not the afterlife is real, or if I go to heaven. That's really the only explanation to why everything is literally going white...or maybe that's just a side-effect of being struck by lightning.

When the white faded, I was greeted by the sight of gold instead. Golden everything, gold grass, golden tree bark and leaves, a gilded sky that reflected into the water and a bright golden sun. On one hand, I was definitely in heaven...then again, I was an atheist, so no idea how long that was gonna stick.

I flinched at the sound of loud honking and looked around for the source, finding the large golden marsh filled with a great flock of flamingos. Despite being bright red, I could see the gold where there should have been white feathers. I know this is heaven and all, but they're going a bit too far with all the gold.

"Well this is a surprise" a voice called out from nearby. "I don't really get to speak to people moving through here too often."

That voice! I know that voice, it's been one of the many that became ingrained into my head since 2012 started.

"I mean, Jojo is a little on the fence about me, and Riley just thinks I'm another figment of his imagination" the familiar voice said. "It gets kind of boring, regardless of the harem and all."

I turned around to see a 17-year old dressed in a green school uniform from late 80s Japan, red hair ending in a twisting bang that hung over his face. Behind him, an athletic humanoid in robotic armor just as golden as its surroundings floated, holding its hands in a prayer-like pose.

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. "Are you...Noriaki Kakyoin?!"

The redhead smirked as he held a thumbs up and drew it across his chin. "YES!" he cried out, thrusting the hand downward. "I AM!"

"...Holy shit!" I gasped out. "This is all some weird mindscrew I'm having as I die, isn't it?"

"Oh right, you were struck by lightning huh?" the redhead pulled a cherry from literal thin air and broke off the stem. "Pretty..._shocking_, that turn of events."

I hate that I laughed at that, but I was a sucker for puns. "That was in bad taste, all things considered...it really _hertz_."

Kakyoin snickered hard at this, nearly squishing the cherry he held. "That was a good one...I really could do this all day, but you're not wrong about it being in bad taste" the stand-user rolled the fruit in between his fingers. "I'm more interested in getting you through the whole process."

"Process?"

"I am an angel after all" the redhead said, snapping his fingers to summon his golden wings and halo.

"Ah, I see...So how does this work then?" I asked. "Is it like in Supernatural, where I get my own personal heaven based on my memories, or do I dance in the field with angels all day and smoke blunts, or what? Give me something!"

The redhead guffawed in response. "Goodness, maybe I should have been clearer...you're not passing on to the afterlife. As it turns out, dying before your scheduled time while being completely unfulfilled, as well as having no attachments to the living world, means you qualify for reincarnation."

"...Reincarnation?"

"Yes, of the other world variety. The way it works is that your new life will have lived without any memories of your previous, until somebody up here jolts the memories from your old mind into your new one," then he popped the cherry in his mouth. "ReroReroReroReroReroReroReroReroReroReroReroReroRero-"

"Hold on a sec!" I growled nervously. "Reincarnation...into another world...Are you saying I'm gonna be Isekaied?!"

The redhead pulled the cherry from his tongue and smiled mutely at me. "Pretty much, yeah. Don't feel too bad, you could be lucky and be reincarnated into some generic fantasy world where you can live with a harem of sexy elf girls."

"...Continue please."

"Or you could be reincarnated into an Anime world, like this boy I know who was reincarnated into the world of Naruto. The bonus for him was getting a Stand, but still," Kakyoin waved his hand in a "so-so" motion. "You might get the raw deal on stuff, who knows."

"Oh goodie, I either get reincarnated into a shitty world but with cool powers, or into a cool world with shitty powers," I grumbled. "What could be worse than that?"

"Fate!" the stand-user said simply. "I can assure you, I know very much about it, since I was fated to die the way I did. In some worlds, you can't fight fate, though depending on the severity of certain changes, fate may rearrange what happens and how it'll happen to fit them. What I'm telling you now is…" Kakyoin gave me a fierce look. "Don't try to change fate, even if she's a fickle mistress. If something has to happen, don't try to stop it! Even if somebody is going to die, saving them will just be a bigger mess. Do you understand?"

"Yeah…" I said lowly. "If I get reincarnated into the world of Re:Zero, then I have to let Rem go into that coma and shit...if I get reincarnated into the world of Tokyo Ghoul, then my green-haired waifu has to be turned into a decapitated zombie, and if I get reincarnated into Doki Doki literature club...well, I don't think I need to go into detail there" I sighed tiredly. "That's all really hard to think about...combined with the whole dying thing, I'm already starting to feel pretty overwhelmed."

"It's alright...I get it, being thrust into this and hearing that you have a chance like that" the stand-user cupped his chin in thought. "You have a few more minutes before I have to transport you to your new body, so I won't impose on you before-"

***BEEP***

"Hmm?" the redhead pulled a fucking tablet from his coat, turned it on and scrutinized it for a good minute. "Huh...well, now I feel like a dumbass."

"Eh?"

"Well, I just gave you that whole speech about not messing with fate and trying to change things," Kakyoin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "But I just got a message from my superiors, and apparently you're going to a world where that doesn't even matter?"

"What?!" I cried out. "Dafuq you mean it doesn't matter? You said fighting fate and changing how things go was a bad idea!"

"Well, for any of the worlds we both mentioned, yeah that would apply" the stand-user shrugged blithely. "But you're being reborn into a world where one of the inhabitants used its powers over time to prevent something from happening to that world's god in the past, and even though that _should _have been against the rules, said god did nothing about it even after he stopped being pissed over something that happened in the destroyed past."

"So then just do whatever the hell I want?"

"Yeah, go to town! Balls to the wall, whatever you feel like, it isn't gonna matter in that world anyway…" then Kakyoin chuckled nervously. "Well, maybe try not to use Payday too much."

"...Payday? What the hell does that even-"

"Oh, my apologies" the redhead gave me a sad look. "It's time for you to get a move on" the stand-user huffed lowly. "This is probably the last time we'll speak...it was nice talking to you."

"Wait! I have so many questions! Why do I exist? What is the meaning of lif-"

"**Haierofanto** **In Hebun!"**

***CRAAAASSSHHHHHHCCCCCKKKKKKKKKVVVVVVVRRRrrrrrrrrr***

* * *

Son of a-really, you couldn't have let me get something in?

Well, at least I'm waking up on a nice bed, and in some PJs...that's something to thank Kakyoin for. Guess I gotta go and check out whether or not I'm some mutated monster or something.

I pulled myself up and walked into what I immediately assumed was my bathroom (thank fuck I was right, otherwise I'd have faceplanted into a closet) so that I could hopefully get a better look at myself. I already noticed that I seemed shorter when I got up, but it was after turning on the bathroom light and looked in the mirror that I froze.

Well, now I knew I was in an Anime world at least.

The most obvious change was that I was now nine years old. Which certainly explained why everything was suddenly smaller. Another thing was my now olive skin, a far cry from how _white _I had been previously. Of course, my hair and eyes were now both dark purple...but my hair…

I looked like the Goblin King from Labyrinth.

No joke, my hair was a big poofy hair-metal mullet with several locks trailing from the side of my head down to my chest, just like David Bowie's character from the labyrinth. Only difference was that it was all dark purple, but still... I looked like I played for the Mötley Crue from way back in the 80s.

Ok, focus on your crazy hair later...find out everything about new world first.

I walked back to my bedroom, spying another door not too far from my bed. Judging by how there was only the bathroom door and that one, that could be an exit. The next room was a small but livable kitchen, with a single door to lead outside and one big sliding door leading to a balcony.

So I lived in an apartment...well, at least I didn't lose my slight neatfreak tendencies in my new life. If I want to figure out what kind of world I was reborn in, then the balcony is the best bet-

And there's a giant green bird there.

Giant is a stretch, it was under 5 feet in length from head to tail, but considering I was nine years old now that was still pretty big. The wings too, they had to be at least four or five meters long if that thing needed to get off the ground. The thing was probably predatory, seeing as how it had a stooped neck, a pointy beak, and large talons. The only odd thing about it was the comb on its head...wait a minute.

That's...that's a fucking Fearow! As in, a REAL POKEMON, laying right there on my balcony. I've been reincarnated into the world of Pokémon...

On one hand, I died and probably left a bunch of grieving relatives in my old world. My old coworker was probably bemoaning the fact that his favorite conversation partner and backup on the night shift wasn't gonna come back. Everybody I loved was gone, and I was never gonna see them again…

On the other hand? DRAGONITE! I'M GETTING A DRAGONITE! WOOHOOOOOOOOO!

***RINGRINGRINGRINGRING***

Oh hey, I have a phone. Funny that, even in my old life, I hadn't seen a landline since I was 9 years old...guess this is the cut off point then.

"Hello?" I called groggily into the line as I picked up.

"_JARETH!"_

"Gaah!" I reeled back at the loud girlish voice. "It's early in the morning and you just tried to break my eardrums, who dis?"

"_It's Caitlyn…"_

"Ah yes...Caitlyn...who?"

"_Your social worker," _the voice groaned from the other side of the line. "_Yeah, you definitely woke up late...I sent Fearow to check on you, is he there?"_

I turned to see the shiny Fearow in my balcony, now fully alert due to it's trainers scream. "Yeah, he's here...he was also asleep."

"_That doofus...anyway, how are you doing Jareth?"_

...Wait, was that my name? "I'm fine...I guess, considering it's pretty early in the morning" and there was the unspoken 'why is my name the same as the weirdo who waved his glass balls around and stole babies?'

"_Jareth, it's 11 AM, you just slept in."_

"Ah...well then…" old habits die hard. "Sorry bout that, I hope you weren't calling me for like, four hours and getting worried."

"_I kinda have to check on you, remember?" _the girl groaned. "_Of course you don't remember, you're __**that **__forgetful...I'll come by on Togekiss in a bit," _there was a short pause. "_Drat, I forgot if Fearow ate or not!"_

"You forgot if your flying type, which you sent to check on me, was fed?"

"_Well, he could have eaten on the flight over, but you know how he is, he gets pretty focused on stuff."_

A memory flashed through me, most likely one from this life before remembering my old one. "I have some food for the big guy, remember? The bag is around here somewhere…"

"_Thank you so much Jareth!" _Caitlyn said happily. "_With Togekiss, I should be there in about an hour, so hang tight!" _

The moment the line clicked and went silent, I put the phone back and walked over to my balcony. Sure enough, just next to the sliding door was a bag of food with a bird symbol, the label clearly stating that it was meant for predatory flying types like Fearow and Pidgeot, alongside it a bowl. I grabbed the bowl and hauled the bag onto my back as I slid the door open.

Fearow's reaction was instant. He immediately interrupted his preening to stare at me expectantly. "FEEEEEEEE?!"

"Yeah, yeah, I gotcha big guy" I opened the bag and dumped a sizable amount of what looked like cured and processed meat into the bowl. I could tell that at least _some _of it was from Magikarp, based on the appearance. "Alright, go ahead and dig in then!"

I didn't need to ask him twice, the bird jumped up happily and speared as much meat onto his beak as he could. I know it should have been terrifying, but in my old life I've had one or two reptiles and insects as old pets, and I've parrotsat once or twice, so I wasn't as creeped out as I probably should have been. Fearow let out a satisfied cawing when he finished and hunkered down a few feet away from me with a content look.

A sharp pain pierced through my skull, prompting me to walk back inside. I was seeing flashes of memories that, while they didn't seem like they were mine, were way too familiar for me to write off. The oncoming migraine made me feel like my head was going to explode, and I had to do _something _to take my mind off of it.

...Hey, I live in an apartment right? That means that I have a mailbox somewhere in the lobby or something. I just had to get both the key to that and the one to my flat, or else I'd be locked out and I wouldn't have my mail. Thankfully, my new self hadn't been completely oblivious, because right next to my door were two seperate keyrings, one for the apartment key and one for the mailbox key.

Both of them were labelled 'take this key to get back into the apartment, dumbass' and 'take this key for your mailbox, dumbass' respectively. Yeah, that sounded a lot like me…

"Hey, Fearow! I'm gonna grab my mail real quick, I'll be back" I called to the shiny bird, getting a few tired warbles in response as I left.

After a bit of wandering around in the hallway and a tentative walk down the stairwell, I found the mailboxes. I singled out the one that matched my suite number, and unloaded the contents...and it was all telemarketer bullshit, ads for bogus steroids and a letter from a nigerian prince. Because all of those would be a thing no matter what world you were in.

Funny thought I was having as I walked back to my suite, I still had no idea which iteration of the Pokémon world I was in. Was it the anime, with Ash Ketchum as the only protag without crazy hair? Was it the games, and there was a secret level system that you could view with the pokedex or something? Or was I in the generations or manga versions, which were like the first version I mentioned but with enough edge to cut your vegetables with.

Considering the stripper ads I spied in my mail, I was leaning towards the latter. Or maybe it was a mashup between all three, who knows?

"Hmm? The fuck is this?" I murmured at a piece of mail that I dropped by accident. It was a pamphlet with a few pictures of children playing around with Pokémon, with more than enough adult supervision. "Well how 'bout that, maybe Kakyoin wasn't talking bullshit about fate after all."

* * *

Caitlyn had arrived nearly an hour and a half after our phone call. I knew it was definitely her because she said she was coming in on a Togekiss, and said Togekiss crashed into my balcony comically, startling a sleeping shiny Fearow and knocking over the rocking chair I had. The fairy-type's unceremonious landing was followed by a loud groan and a string of curses.

My social worker was a petite young woman with a soft face and long brown hair that went down to her waist, topped off by her wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Most people would assume that child services would be overly professional and cold looking, but since they have to work with _children_ that isn't meant to be the case. Caitlyn seemed like any other nice lady, barring the intimidating green bird that was nuzzling her leg.

"Took you awhile, huh?" I called over from my small couch as she invited herself in. By now, I had begun to remember enough of my new life that I could still act the part of myself (not that there would be much to act).

"Annual Beedrill migration, skies were packed," the woman said tiredly. "It was so serious that the air traffic cops had to be out...maybe I should have come in on Skarmory" she mumbled angrily.

"I bet it would have been just like last time," I said, turning to another page of the pamphlet I heald. "I wonder what color I could replace everything with? Cause last time you told me baby blue looked like a nice touch, but you can see it now and…" I trailed off, motioning to the entire room around us. "It looks like a gulpin ate some rawst berries while it was under hypnosis and used Spit Up all over the place."

"Very descriptive," Caitlyn huffed, then tilted her head when she noticed the pamphlet in my hands. "What do you have there?"

"...A pamphlet for a summer camp, run by one Professor Oak."

Caitlyn stared at me for several seconds before sighing. "Oh boy...we're gonna have to have this talk again huh?" the woman sat next to me, eyeing the leaflet over my shoulder. "I get it, you're enamored with the world of Pokémon and you wanna connect with them like everybody else, you've been saying you want to be a trainer since you could talk...but it isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"You say that from experience."

"Because I have the experience," the short woman said. "I've told you dozens of times, I went through every gym to get to the Indigo League, and I didn't even get to the first actual round. Becoming a Pokémon Master isn't something you just do, it requires blood, sweat, and tears. People who can't measure up, they live with that for the rest of their lives."

...Pokémon Master? Hold up!

"You think I want to become a Pokémon Master?" I asked flatly, glancing at the lady from the corner of my eye. "Cait, what is a Pokémon Master?"

The brunette looked at me owlishly before rubbing the back of her head. "It's somebody who...huh...I don't really know...I mean, you need to have won all 8 gym badges in your home region, and usually winning the Pokémon League is the first step to becoming one, but-"

"SO, the title 'Pokémon Master' is completely arbitrary, and practically has no meaning, is that right?"

Caitlyn gaped at me for almost half a minute. "I mean...yeah, I guess that's how it is, but there are people who are called Pokémon Masters and...I…" the woman put a finger to her chin in thought. "I never really thought it through that much."

"I see…" I lowered the pamphlet down and closed my eyes. "Caitlyn, I do not want to become a Pokémon Master!"

"What?!" the brunette stared at me like I had grown a second head. "But you said you wanted that, what changed your-"

"I said I wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer, not a Pokémon Master," I wagged a finger in front of her face. "There's a big difference between the two titles. A Pokémon Trainer is a title which actually makes sense, you train Pokémon and fight with them. _You _can't even tell me what a Pokémon Master is, and you tried to become one. So no, I don't want to be something that isn't even properly defined."

Caitlyn stared at me nervously for a few seconds. "So you just want to be a trainer?"

"Yeah...well, maybe a type specialist."

"Type specialist?" the woman scoffed. "What, you wanna be a gym leader, or a member of the Elite Four? Type-specialists are just some gimmick for tournaments and leagues."

"Name one of your Pokémon that isn't a flying-type" I responded.

I saw Fearow and Togekiss sharing an 'oooh snap' expression between them as their trainer reeled back in shock. She stood still for several seconds before taking a deep breath.

"I've got Farfetch'd, he's-"

"A flying type," I cut her off. "You have at least a dozen flying types, and you've admitted that you could never stop gushing over flying types. Ergo, you are a flying-type specialist."

"Alright, I get it!" the short woman held her hands up defensively. "So you wanna be a type specialist, convince me then! what type do you want to specialize in?"

"...Dragons" I said simply.

Caitlyn leaned back anxiously as she pinned me with a blank stare. "I'm sorry, could you maybe repeat that? Cause it kinda sounded like you said you wanted to specialize in-"

"Dragon-types, yeah that's what I said...though that'd be a bit rigid, since I'm gonna try to get anything that looks like a dragon or is in the egg-group," I leveled a confused gaze at the woman. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why dragon-types?" the brunette croaked. "They're one of the most dangerous types there is, they only have two type weaknesses aside from their own, and most of them are nearly impossible to train."

"Yessss," I hissed maniacally. "It'll be a challenge, but I'm not one to give up so easily."

"Ok genius, what dragon would you get first?"

"Well, if I were going by easiest to find, then I'd probably get a Magikarp or a Horsea," I said blithely. "Pallet town isn't far from the ocean, I'd just need a fishing rod."

"Ok I guess you're...wait, Magikarp? How is that a dragon?"

"Egg-group," I explained quickly. "And I'm gonna evolve it into Gyarados anyway, so-"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

I rubbed the inside of my left ear for a second time today. "Sitting right next to me, by the way. Maybe keep your volume down?"

"Gyarados?! The Atrocious Pokémon?! As in 'destroys everything it sees when it's mad' Gyarados? The things that go on rampages that can last for months?! That thing?!"

"Yeah, I was gonna get one of those" I said cheerfully.

"Are you insane?! I never even went near one of those things!"

"It'll all be part of the plan..." I said devilishly. "First the Gyarados, then the Dragonite!"

There was the unspoken 'then the bitches' to go along with it. I saw Caitlyn giving me a stern look from the corner of my vision, and I turned a page in the pamphlet in a bid to ignore her. Hopefully she didn't notice I was just rereading the entire thing.

"Oh, I see what's going on...explains why you slept in too," the brunette pointed an accusatory finger at me. "You were staying up late last night, and you saw that dirty commercial, is that it?"

"Dirty commercial?" I lowered the leaflet and thought to myself for a bit. What dirty commercial would I have seen last night-

"_Sweet semen of Baby Helix! Get yourself a Dragonite! That's right, a Dragonite! The OD of the OG!"_

"Oh, you mean the one where the guy says that Lance gets his cock sucked for every-"

"Language!" the woman growled. "Also, you're nine years old, you shouldn't be thinking about that stuff!"

"...I shouldn't think about getting one of the coolest Pokémon ever?" I said dumbly.

"No, that's not...ugh!" the brunette groaned. "You have been more interested in dragons than anything else...are you sure about becoming a trainer, kiddo?" Caitlyn pinned me with a gaze that was equal parts firm and questioning, but I could see the worry just lying beneath it.

I sighed as I closed the pamphlet and turned to her. "It's not like I've made the decision on the fly. You said it yourself, I've been all about being a trainer since I was...5 maybe?" I stared into space absentmindedly before shaking my head clear. "That's why I was thinking about this summer camp! I don't wanna jump into being a trainer without having any idea of what I'm doing, so this camp will be the perfect chance to learn the stuff I'd need to get by!"

The brunette sighed tiredly. "My bosses usually want to steer kids under our jurisdiction away from being trainers, considering how many end up failing and getting all disappointed, but since you're so keen on it I can try and convince my superior," then she let out a small giggle. "Considering how much you have in your savings accounts, four years at this camp wouldn't be a problem."

...Wait, what?"

"I remember when I first started, when you had to be 15 instead of 13 to become a trainer."

WAIT WHAT?!

"I guess the whole 'island challenge' events in Alola being televised made voters think, huh?"

"13…" I said quietly. "Yeah...four years at camp will be great!"

FOUR YEARS?! Ash and Red both started when they were 10, why did I have to wait four years to finally get a Dragonite?! This system is so unfair dammit!

"You sound really sure about that, Jer" the woman gave me a bright smile. "You've always been a pretty patient kid, even when you were really young. In my opinion, I think you'd be a great trainer."

[INTERNALIZED SCREAMING]

* * *

**TIME SKIP**

Funny enough, Caitlyn's boss _was _on the fence about me going to Pokémon summer camp, or being a trainer in general. It wasn't exactly because I could give so much more to society by being something else, not even close. They were just worried due to the circumstances that brought me under their jurisdiction.

At least I can go and get a "World's Deadest Parents" mug from a novelty shop. Apparently my parents were either both experienced trainers, or only one of them was, because I was found in a baby carrier at the scene of what looked like an intense battle...starting to lean more towards generations every second.

Thankfully, I was allowed to apply, and the ensuing months were filled with me doing odd jobs around Pallet Town, going over my new memories, and exercising my body. I was still a stick, but I wasn't gonna be a skinny stick this time around.

All that led to this moment, the trip to the camp itself. Oh sure, I could've taken a bus or called a taxi. I could have even carpooled...but Caitlyn wasn't gonna have that. Once I was ready and I had everything I needed packed, she pulled me along and we left in style.

"**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWRRRRR!"**

"WOOOHOOOO!"

Charizard, the best starter evolution. Don't care if you like Venusaur or Blastoise, and I don't give a damn about Pikachu, miss me with all that gay shit. Charizard is where it is, and this flight was the best experience of either of my lives.

"WOOOOHOOO!"

Apparently it was the same with Caitlyn...even though she probably flew _everywhere _she went. Yeah, I loved flying on Charizard, but I had gotten everything out of it after the first 3 hours. The little brunette, on the other hand, couldn't go 5 minutes without squealing in joy at the wonders of flight.

"Weeeeee!" as if to illustrate the point, she cried out again. "I bet there are a bunch of dragons you could fly on, huh Jareth?!"

At least 18 proper dragon types...which led me to the question that had burned through my mind for the past few months. Aside from studying everything Pokémon and Dragon-type related, and going over the memories I had from my new life, I was also crunching the exact numbers for my long term goal.

Just how was I going to get _every _Dragon?

Obviously, I counted the egg group as well, so I included Arbok and Seviper in there. Plus, I was gonna go after anything that was remotely dragon-like, so that included Aerodactyl and Archeops (Pterosaur wyvern and proto-birb with alotta dragon moves) and Lugia (favorite Legendary, and plesiosaur wyvern). But, after taking everything into account and crunching all the numbers, the best I could hope for was to get a Latias and maybe one or two of the Ultra Beasts if I was lucky.

Probably a good thing, I'd never be able to feed a Rayquaza, nor was I heroic enough to be worthy of Reshiram...and I don't think it'd be a good idea to even try to bring the masters of time, space, and anti-matter/gravity to heel, that's just asking for a good round of smiting. And don't even get me started on Necrozma, mister "bippity boppity, your Nuzlocke gonna stoppity" wasn't ever gonna be a possibility at any point in time.

Best to just start with the basics, go for a charmander, capture a horsea and magikarp, and maybe get a revived Aerodactyl. Once I'm far enough along, getting the Dratini will be a cake walk.

"WOOOHOOOO-Oh shit!" the woman cursed. "Ehehe...sorry Jareth, I hope you don't mind a little bit of a rough landing."

The hell did she-Oh no!

"Caitlyn, please don't tell me we're going to crash!" I cried out over the winds. "Charizard, please don't tell me you're crashing, please!"

The poor dragon just gave me a sheepish look in response, and I immediately knew how much this was gonna suck.

One crash later, Caitlyn and I stood in front of a slightly scuffed up Charizard, all while several parents who had brought their kids to the camp stared at us. Obviously the really young kids were ecstatic to see a live Charizard, and even some of the kids that were around my (new) age were staring in awe. I only realized people were looking _after _I had finished dusting myself off, to which I shied away slightly.

"Alright, I'm gonna go to the front desk and get you set up," the woman said, heaving my backpack and her briefcase off of the lizard. I flinched when she nearly fell back at the weight and sped over to help her with our combined luggage. "Ah, thanks! Anway, I'm putting you on Charizardsitting duty" the woman surveyed our surroundings. "Judging by our entrance, I'm sure you'll make a lot of new friends."

Once Cait left to get my semester at camp figured out, I honestly expected a bunch of kids to crowd me and Charizard. Strangely enough, most of the kids were too shy to even go near us, which wasn't so odd considering that Charizard had finally got his bearings and stood with a confident, folded arm stance. Two kids did actually walk away from their parents, two that anybody would be familiar with.

Two kids with spiky anime hair, one with dark hair, brown eyes, and lightning bolt marks on his cheeks, and the other with auburn hair and very dark green eyes. The dark-haired boy walked towards us shyly while the redhead was flashing us a confident smirk.

Ash "can't win a league to save his life" Ketchum, and Gary Motherfucking Oak. I hadn't actually seen them in the few months after the whole past life memory thing, but I had heard about them in passing. Obviously I had seen Delia when she was running her restaurant, since I'd deliver supplies there from my part-time job, and the same went for Gary's sister Daisy and the Pokémon grooming business she worked for.

"Hey, you're that big kid that delivers stuff to my mom, right?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, that'd be me," I said while holding my hand out, which the boy thankfully understood was to be shaken. "You must be Ash then? Your mom may have mentioned you a few times."

"Yeah, I'm Ash Ketchum...Oh, and this is-"

"I heard you didn't have any parents!" Gary said happily, cutting Ash off and causing a horrified look to spread across the dark-haired boy's face.

...Must...resist urge...to strangle six-year old.

"Yeah...that's not incorrect..." I said through gritted teeth and an extremely forced smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch your name. You are…?"

"I'm Gary Oak, I'm the professor's grandson! And I'm gonna ace this camp!" the redhead smirked and jabbed a thumb towards himself.

I just stared mutely at the boy, before a devious grin spread across my face. "Oh, you're Daisy's brother! It makes so much sense now."

"Yeah, that's me! And once I'm done with this camp, I'll be the best trainer in the entire-"

"Yeah, sounds about right," I cut him off. "Daisy told me a lot of stuff about her little brother, even showed me a bunch of pictures. With you here now, I can sort of see it all playing out."

"Wait what?! That's not fair!" the boy cried indignantly. "Daisy said she wouldn't show off my baby pictures like that!"

"Baby pictures? No, she showed me pictures of this thing from an ice rink-"

"THAT'S EVEN WORSE!" the redhead shrieked hotly, face beet-red.

I chuckled slightly at Gary's reaction. I was only gonna do some harmless teasing for the next four years as revenge anyway, so I wasn't gonna go overboard. Plus, he gets like 6 cheerleaders after becoming a trainer, I'll mess with him all I want.

"So you really came in on Charizard?" Ash asked quickly, excitement glinting in his eyes.

"Well, you saw the crash after all…"

"That's so cool!" the dark-haired boy cried in awe while looking up at Charizard. Said fire dragon smirked at the attention he was getting.

"Well...we kinda crashed, which isn't as cool as you think" I said sheepishly, causing Charizard to deflate.

"Still, your sister is a really cool trainer," the dark-haired boy gushed. "When I'm finally ready to be a trainer, I'm gonna try and get a Charizard too, just like her."

"Sister...Oh, you mean Caitlyn? No, she isn't my sister" I rubbed the back of my head anxiously. "Cait is my social worker."

The two boys looked at me dumbly, and I realized these kids didn't know what that was. Because they had non-dead parents/biological relatives to take care of them, and they probably never had to work since they could pick up their own body weight.

"A social worker is...ok, lemme explain it," I held my hands up and thought to myself. "Ok, remember how I don't have parents? That means I'm a ward of the state, which means the government has to take care of me. A social worker is a government worker who is assigned to specific kids who are wards of the state, so their job is to make sure kids under the government's care. Cait is my social worker, so she checks up on me a lot, and she flew me to this camp on Charizard."

Ash and Gary stared at me blankly, before the redhead's eyes lit up. "So you work for the government?"

"Wait, no I-"

"Are you a secret agent?!" Gary cried out. "You ride on a Charizard and you're a secret agent?! That's so cool!"

Honestly, I should have realized this would happen, since I was talking to two six year olds. I remember when I was that age, when I thought "gluteus maximus" was one of the muscles in your arms, so I loudly announced how big mine was to my 1st grade class. So obviously Gary heard "government worker" and his six-year old mind went through the only mental gymnastics it was capable of to come to the conclusion that I was in fact a secret agent.

I noticed Daisy and Delia walking towards us, and smiled sheepishly at them. "So, I made your boys think I'm a Secret Agent by accident…"

Delia laughed at this. "Oh, we heard that. Don't worry, I think you explained it pretty well, all things considered."

"I think your main problem is that they're six," Daisy said with a giggle, motioning to the two as the crowded Charizard. "Most of what you said probably computed into all sorts of things. Be glad they're stuck on the secret agent thing."

"Secret agent Charizard!" Ash cried out happily. "He takes names and kicks butt!"

"Raaaawww!" said dragon beamed and struck a flashy pose, eliciting excited cries from many of the kids around us.

Good thing about Charizard, as long as Caitlyn isn't around then he won't attack anything. Charizard are a proud warrior race, they don't go after anything weaker than they are unless ordered to do so, and even then they'll be pretty reluctant about it.

It was just as the big guy was performing his own Jojo pose that I spotted Caitlyn coming back towards us, eyes closed and a bright smile on her face. "Alright, I'm back! Now you just need to go to orien…ta...tion…" the brunette blinked at her posing dragon and the children calling out the words 'Secret Agent Charizard' before turning to me.

"Sorry Cait, I was trying to explain what a social worker was and now everybody thinks you're a secret agent," I said nervously, looking back at Charizard. "They're like six, so I have no idea how to correct them on it..." I flinched as Caitlyn stood there with a blank stare, to which I waved a hand in front of her. "Cait? You ok Cait? Helloooo~? Miss social worker-"

"Agent," she said lowly, looking down at me with a fierce glare and playful grin. "_Miss _secret agent! That's me!"

Oh Helix damn it!

"Charizard!" the small woman called out, causing the fire-type to look up. "Come, we have a mission! A..._secret agent _mission, one that has a lot of secret secrets to un-secret...I'm a secret agent!" the woman cried out happily, causing the kids to cheer. "Come Jareth, I do believe we must continue with our assignment from MI6."

Oh goodie, she's even using the whole british accent...wait, MI6? Was britain a thi-Oh wait, Galar region. Alright, guess I should figure out why she's pulling me along to some random building a bit aways from the reception desk.

"So, where are we going to Miss _secret agent_?" I asked flatly.

"We're heading to see an old friend, she's working here," the short woman noticed my concerned look. "Relax, orientation isn't for another hour or so. Besides, Sara is great...and she might have something that interests you."

I was about to ask if this 'Sara' was a hot teacher, but stopped when I realized that would open up a whole bunch of questions from Cait that I wasn't ready to answer. After a few minutes, we finally arrived at what was probably the camp mess hall. Inside was a tall blue-haired woman cleaning the floor behind the counters, and a huge fluffy white bean-bag chair nearby.

"Hey, Sara!" Cait called out, causing the bluenette to look up. "Here, this is the kid I was telling you about last month. Jareth, this is my old friend and rival Sara, she's one of your camp counselors."

"_You're_ Jareth?" the woman looked at me owlishly. "You're the munchkin that made her have an existential crisis?"

How are munchkins a thing in this world?!

"I guess I am," I shrugged. "So you guys were rivals? I can't imagine why."

"It's because we both wanted to be the best flying-type masters in the Indigo Conference" the bluenette smirked and put a hand to her chin. "It would have been me, but Cait beat me in the preliminaries."

"And…" I trailed off, looking towards the short brunette. Caitlyn sweatdropped and rubbed the back of her head.

"I didn't even get into the top 64. I barely got into the top 128...and it totally wouldn't have been me" the short woman sneered at her friend/rival.

"Yeah, as if!" the bluenette smirked evilly. "My Crobat could have easily beaten your Togekiss if it weren't for that lucky shot with psychic!"

"Oh yeah? Charizard nearly turned your Yanmega into char, it was an easy win!"

"HA! Mantyne brought him down easily, you're kidding yourself if you thought that was an early sign for your win."

Maybe it was a good time to back away just a bit before the fireworks really started. As I backed up, I accidentally fell backward...right into the _fluffiest _thing I had ever touched. If you're thinking 'Air Foam' or 'Tempur-Pedic' soft, you're nowhere close to how soft this was. The only thing I could see of the soft thing I laid on was the white, cotton-like fuzz dotting the entire thing.

Oh, and the blue head peeking down at me with beady eyes and white cheek patches.

"RiRiRiRi?"

"Eh?" Sara looked over and saw us. "Oh, Altaria! Jareth, please be careful with him, he hasn't-"

"How did you capture a cloud?" I said absently, still looking at the fluff monster. Said being of softness trilled happily as I lifted myself up. "So...Cool…" I trailed off, to which Altaria nuzzled its head against my chest.

"Ah right, I forgot...Altaria" Cait chuckled at Sara's confusion. "He wants to be a dragon specialist, so obviously he'll get his own."

"I'd get one even if I wanted to be a fire specialist! It's so flippin fluffy, nothing in the entire known universe could measure up."

"He's right, that's actually been scientifically proven," the bluenette smirked at me. "So, dragon specialist huh? That'd certainly get you to the status of Pokémon Master really quick."

"Hmm? Oh, I don't wanna be a Pokémon Master, that's just stupid" I said dumbly.

"...Wait, what?" Sara gaped at me in shock. "Why don't you wanna be a Pokémon Master?"

"Oh shit!" Cait hissed lowly. "Sara, cover your ears, quick! If he starts talking, then you're gonna start questioning your existence-"

"I don't wanna be a Pokémon Master because the title is completely arbitrary and meaningless," I said, all while giving the floof monster a perfect neck rub. "I've asked a bunch of trainers and former trainers like Cait what a Pokémon Master is, and they can't even tell me. It's so vague and improperly defined, yet somehow people all over the world are aspiring to become one. I think it's a sham, a sham to show off the underdogs who couldn't possibly win a full league while glorifying the people who obviously had a better shot at the whole kerfluff-"

"Jareth!" Caitlyn's cry finally took my attention away from giving the fluff dragon his headpats and neck rubs, and back to the two women. "I think you should stop, you already broke her" the brunette motioned to Sara, who sported an absent look on her face like she was trying to unravel the secrets of the universe.

"...Oops," I said, rubbing the back of my neck nervously. "Sorry for making you have an existential crisis over your trying to be a Pokémon Master."

"...Huh? Oh, it's fine" the bluenette shook her head clear.

I looked back to the floofy dragon just as an idea hit me. "Hey, you raised Altaria right? Think you could give me some pointers for the next few years?"

"Eh? You sure you don't wanna ask Cait?"

"Cait's been having me hang around Charizard, she thinks its the same thing as a Dragonite," I said, waving away the brunette's protests. "I think I'd get a better idea of what I'm doing if I asked somebody who raised an actual dragon-type."

I really hated to put Charizard on the spot like that, not just Cait's but the species as a whole. Sure, they got the typing when they mega evolved, but that was years away from me.

Sara put a hand to her chin in thought and looked at her watch. "Hmm...well, we have maybe 40 minutes before orientation, so I guess I could tell you about the basics."

I gave the bluenette a bright smile as Altaria nudged my arm playfully. "Thanks Miss Sara, I'd really appreciate it."

* * *

Orientation was exactly how I expected it to go, what with Professor Oak getting up on stage and giving a speech. He started with 'Welcome to the world of Pokemon' for it, so I had already figured out how it was gonna go. Of course, he and the camp organizers definitely hammered home that you _had to be 13 _to be a trainer.

Four years...so damn painful!

It was what I saw out near the woods an hour or so _after _orientation that was interesting. By interesting, I also mean very infuriating, because it was a little girl being bullied by some guy probably a year older than I was. The boy was on the chubby side, and he obviously had no problem throwing his weight around. The girl on the other hand…

"L-Leave me alone!"

"Awww, is the baby gonna start crying again?"

The girl was incredibly lithe and short long-haired brunette clad in a t-shirt and jeans, and she had great blue tareme eyes dripping with tears. There was some serious cry cute going on, which only made everything more sad and infuriating. By the time I had heard them speak, I had already made my decision on this.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" I cried out, trying to sound as calm as possible.

The fat kid turned his head towards me slightly and sneered at me. "Nothing you need to butt into punk, move along."

Obviously the best course of action was to try and intimidate the guy...and the only way I knew how? Act as crazy as I really was.

"Nothing? Nothing?!" I growled, storming forward and grabbing the boy by the shoulder _hard_, turning him around to face my deranged snarl. "Nothing, Tra La La?!"

Hey, I had the same name as the guy, I'll run it into the ground.

"W-What's your problem dummy!" the chubby kid growled as he tried to wrench his shoulder free. "Lemme go!"

I acquiesced to his demand by pushing him back. Of course, the kid decided to take a swing at me, a futile effort considering his girth. The first few punches, I dodged, and the fourth punch was redirected straight into the ground, causing the boy to fall flat on his face.

"If you want to pick on girls, then I'll turn you into a prince" I growled at the kid as he stood up.

"...A prince?"

"Prince of the Land of Stench!" I cried madly.

Didn't sound as funny as the movie made it out to be when I put a crazy voice on it.

Chubs once again made for another swing, to which I once again dodged. This time however, my hand flew towards his throat and I pulled him up by the neck as best as I could. I made sure he got a good view of my creepy dead-fish eye stare.

"Beware," I said lowly, leveling a deadly glare at him. "I have been generous up 'til now. I can be cruel."

"Eeep!"

I released the punk from my grip and pushed him back onto the grass. Thankfully, the kid had gotten the memo and ran away from me as fast as his fat little legs could carry him. I looked on as he fled, and let out a mad Goblin King laugh.

Funny enough, I forgot I had an audience.

"That was so weird," the girl said from her spot on the ground. "You were dancing around like a clown, and talking crazy."

"That does sound a lot like me," I said, putting a finger to my chin before looking back to the girl and holding a hand out to her. "So, you wanna get off the ground? Or do you like having jeans that smell like cut grass?"

"Getting off the ground would be nice," the girl grabbed my hand and allowed me to help her up. "T-Thank you...for making that mean guy go away."

"Don't mention it!" I said happily. "My name is Jareth, by the way, in case you were wondering."

"Just Jareth?"

"Yeah...what, what's wrong?"

"Don't you have a surname?" the girl asked me owlishly.

"You mean the last name of your parents?" I asked, to which she nodded. "Oh, I don't have a surname...or parents."

"Eh?!" the girl stared at me in shock. "You don't have any parents?"

"Well, yeah, I am an orphan," I said, anxiously rubbing the back of my neck.

The girl stared at me for a few more seconds before bursting out into a tearful laughter. "I feel like a butt...I'm only crying because I'm four countries away from Unova and I can't be with my mom like I wanted."

"You're from Unova?" I asked.

"Yeah, I live in Aspertia City," the girl rubbed her nose as she sniffled. "My best friend Hugh lives next door, but sometimes he's busy brooding...and mom is always busy because she works at the Pokémon Center."

"So you're sad that you don't get time with your mom, and you're scared because you're in an unfamiliar place?"

"Yeah...but it seems so...so…" the girl stared off in thought. "Trivial! That, it seems so trivial, because I was just saved by a boy who doesn't have parents."

"I try not to let the whole 'no parents' thing bother me," I said blithely. "I'm gonna be a Trainer in four years, so I'll make a name for myself. Then I won't need to worry about being the kid with no parents, because nobody will even remember that when they look at me and my awesome team."

The girl giggled happily. "Its kinda unfair that people in Kanto have to wait till they're 13...in Unova, the age is 16," then she flashed me a kind smile. "Still...if you become a trainer, then you'll probably be in one of those tournaments, so I can't wait to watch."

"Then I'll be glad to know that somebody is gonna root for me" I smirked, then looked back to the main campgrounds. "Maybe we should get back...I'm pretty sure that chubby kid might tattle on us, so I might need you as my witness."

"...Can you carry me?" the girl asked shyly.

I simply smirked and pulled her off the ground as best I could and slung her over my back, eliciting a happy squeal from her. After walking her through it, the girl hooked her arms under mine and wrapped her legs around my waist.

"Hey, I definitely remember telling you my name, but I didn't get yours."

The girl hitching a piggyback ride on me giggled again. "Sorry, I should have told you when you told me yours. My name is Rosa, Rosa Blanco" Rosa then nuzzled the crook of my neck cheerfully.

Sure, maybe I had to wait _4 whole years _to become a Pokémon Trainer, finally get a badass Dragonite and try as hard as possible to get a Lugia. But, if I got to spend time with a cute girl for the next four years who didn't mind if I acted crazy while saying 'Tra La La', then maybe…

Maybe four years wasn't as bad as I had made it out.

* * *

**Don't worry, I won't spend 5 chapters stuck on Oak's summer camp like I did with the academy in 'In Another World'. Jareth's Pokémon journey starts next chapter, alongside the reveal of his starter.**

**As always, ****lease leave any thoughts, questions, and constructive c****riticism in your reviews.**


	2. The Journey Begins

**Boy, I get my ass beat by one bright boi, and suddenly I have a story that just blows up. I'll be updating my other two stories by next month, but I figured I'd get a second chapter for this one out beforehand, thank you all for taking your time to read this.**

**Thank you to followers and favoriters: smaiti96, ElDoggoBandito, Luffy327, Alfredo Junior Santos, GGPD, kimmay94, Darkjaden, TheAwesomeGabe, Crembo, ZangetsuKing1029, Loser Stuck In Memory, DDMoon, stevensalzman82, AzureSovereign, THE BLACK PRINCE OF DARKNESS (dude sweet), tcbnv, Mr Beaver Buttington (XD), FrostFriday, Clinpipe, frankieu, StormCloud6, Vail Ryuketsu, wasa999, Roasted-Potato, lightningwarrior215, powerbome, Avenger13579, Christopher Mrch, Rain Sennin, Sirlolisalot (:D), Only For The God Emperor (XD), andilezeph, baconfriar, sevJoan, LividTech, makkak, NeedingOfLifeGoalDude, dragonfire21, MM995, reymen15, Hika512, Icehouse Flowers, lordofbee, DanteRavenwood56, Purple Marshmellows, victormacdonald0, banksnw, ncboom123, and ForgetThisName.**

** If I have missed a name, it's most likely because FF doesn't let me format it right, or you're a returning follower/favoriter from my other stories, and you've probably left a review. **

**Dialogue format:**

"Talking"

"_Pokédex speaking_" (has normal quotation marks but italic speech)

_"Telepathy" _(everything in italics!)

* * *

Lance stood across from his latest opponent, cape flapping behind him wildly. The girl on the other side of the stadium seemed like an average teenage girl in a school uniform, pink hair with pale blue highlights fluttering around her shoulders, her equally pink eyes staring into those of the champion of the Indigo League. Despite the intense stares they were giving one another, any levity that would come with their oncoming match was blown away, quite literally, when Lance's cape fluttered straight into his face.

"Agh!" the redhead grabbed the offending cloak angrily and pulled it from his head, then stared at the girl sheepishly as she did the same for her now messy hair. "Sorry about this Karin, I wouldn't have thought they'd pick such a windy day for the match…"

"It's fine, really!" the girl called out. "You can't predict these things, odd weather happens, and you just gotta roll with it."

"ASTOUNDING!" a nearby announcer cried out. "EVEN BEFORE THE FINAL BATTLE OF THE CHAMPION LEAGUE, THE MOST INTENSE FINALE, THESE TWO TAKE THE TIME TO CONNECT IN SUCH A GENUINE WAY! JUST BEAUTIFUL!"

Karin cringed, a sentiment matched by Lance's sweatdrop. WIthin the stadium stands, dozens of people either cheered for Lance or his latest challenger who had defied all odds to get to him. The redhead squinted just a bit before smiling when he spotted his favorite cousin in the front row, alongside several other members of his clan, all either cheering him on or looking on expectantly.

The commotion in the stands grew immensely when the referee walked towards the ring. Despite his aged appearance, Charles Goodshow was no less enthusiastic about the leagues he oversaw, enough so that he was happy to referee champion matches himself. The elderly trainer smiled to both the champion and challenger before facing the camera with a wide grin.

"Both Trainers are allowed 6 Pokémon, only the challenger may switch their Pokémon out! However, if the challenger recalls their Pokémon mid-battle, that Pokémon has lost the battle as per Indigo League regulations," the bearded league president smiled and held his hand out to his side. "Let the final match of this years Champion League, BEGIN!"

"Go, Kingdra!"

"Lapras, let's go!"

Two large Pokémon were released onto the field, one a massive draconic seahorse, the other a plesiosaur-like creature with a large stony shell. Both trainers returned to their state of intense staring, their Pokémon matching the action for several seconds. It was Kairin made the first move.

"Lapras, Rain Dance!"

The Transport Pokémon's body glowed a bright blue, and a storm cloud appeared over it. The Dragon Pokémon stared at the display impassively before turning its head towards its trainer. Lance put a hand to his chin and tilted his head at the ice-type standing across from them.

"Alright Kingdra, use Twister!"

The draconic water-type lifted its head up and made a sharp sucking noise, before a massive gust of wind flew from its snout. The wind gust instantly became a bright blue tornado that swirled around the ice-type. Lapras gritted its teeth as it braved the dragon-type move and stared at its opponent once the storm ended.

"Lapras, use Rest!"

The Transport Pokémon instantly fell asleep, becoming surrounded by a misty green aura. The bruises and cuts previously earned from the twister from before immediately healed. Despite this, Lance let out a snort.

"That was a nice plan, but unless Lapras wakes up in the next minute, you're gonna-" the redhead gaped in shock when the ice-type's eyes opened wide, the creature instantly alert and refreshed. "...Lose?"

"Lapras's ability is Hydration, which means even if she uses rest, she'll wake up immediately if its raining," the pinkette smirked. "Now then...Lapras, use Thunder!"

The ice-type's horn began to glow with electricity, and a massive bolt of lightning soon speared into the water-type across from him. Kingdra's bruised and lightly singed form quivered for several seconds, but the dragon still stood tall. Lance still flinched at the water-type's pained growls.

"ASTOUNDING! LAPRAS HAS GOTTEN IN THE FIRST CRITICAL HIT, JUST HOW WILL THE BATTLE GO FROM HERE?"

***CLICK***

"Seen it!"

I turned the TV off one last time, not caring to see how the match turned out. I already saw it several times, Lance wins the minute he brings out one of his Dragonites as his second Pokémon. Just goes to show you, the damn things are unstoppable...that's why they're awesome!

Since it was early in the summer, I wasn't gonna start my journey in anything too hot to wear, or those ridiculous frilly fantasy outfits my namesake wore. I had simply put on a dark red t-shirt, a pair of jeans with the legs rolled up, and some good old hiking boots, all topped off by a satchel slung over my left shoulder. It was a simple ensemble, but I didn't want anything over the top when I finally got what I've been waiting for.

Four years

Four years since I was "reincarnated" into the world of Pokémon. Four years at a summer camp run by _the _Professor Oak, where I learned how to (hopefully) properly take care of all the dragon-types I planned to catch. The same camp where I met my best friend, Rosa, who was separated from me by an entire ocean and likely wouldn't see me at camp this summer.

Because today was the day I _finally _became a Pokémon Trainer. Years of sitting through boring lectures from different experts, years of hearing about the different Pokémon owned by the camp counselors, and years of mock battles against fellow campers with borrowed Pokémon, it was all finally paying off. In fact, I had even passed a test that qualified me for a Pokédex, something that was usually very exclusive as it can be used as an ID card for entering tournaments, contests, and of course the Pokémon League itself.

Yup, it was looking good. Just had to get my stuff in order, put the scant personal belongings I had in storage, and make sure I had enough money and supplies for a journey across what was probably 32 square kilometers of land. Then my first order of business was to go fishing, and nab myself either a Horsea or a Magikarp.

The last thing I grabbed was my wallet, and I took a good look at the two pictures I had inside. The first was of Rosa and I after our first year in summer camp, with my friend hitching a ride on my back. The second wasn't too different from the first, except both Caitlyn and her friend Sara were present and giving us bunny ears, alongside Charizard and best floof dragon Altaria photobombing the shot. That gave me one last chuckle before I left.

When I got to the Professor's lab, there were already two other prospective trainers there, both of whom I recognized from summer camp.

The first was a tall boy dressed like a hiker from the Sun and Moon games, minus the cap and the huge backpack. He had tanned skin, dark hair, and piercing brown eyes that accentuated his emotionless visage. I knew this boy as Aiden, a boy who was normally quiet at camp, and when he did speak he would be short and to the point or speaking in strange word-salads that almost sounded like philosophical musings.

The second was Mina, a slender girl of average height dressed in a blouse-shirt and black khakis, her thick black hair parted in the middle and tied into loose pigtails that trailed past her shoulders. I remembered from camp that I hadn't ever seen Mina speak to anybody, nor was she ever really around the other kids aside from group activities and lunch. So she's either _really _shy, or she doesn't even speak english…

Wait, are we speaking english? Have I been speaking Japanese the entire time?

...Pokémon starter first, questions later.

"Yo!" I called out to the other two prospective Trainers as I walked over. "Been a while huh? You guys ready for...well," I motioned to the lab. "The greatest moment of our lives?"

Aiden looked at me dumbly for several seconds before shaking his head. "I suppose I am ready…"

Before I could even get a conversation started with the guy, I spotted Mina gesticulating wildly out of the corner of my vision. When I saw what she was doing I went ghost pale, because I recognized a few of those hand motions...or rather, words.

"Oh...I'm sorry, I didn't know," I said quickly, unknowingly confusing the girl. "I'll try to make sure I'm facing you whenever we talk."

"She isn't deaf," Aiden quickly corrected. "She's just mute, she uses sign language to speak."

"Oh! I'm sorry, I just assumed…" I trailed off nervously.

Mina didn't seem too bothered by it, because I could see her making the sign for "it's okay" to me. Then she sent me a flirty grin and made another few signs at me that went right over my head. I saw Aiden sigh in exasperation before he turned to me.

"She just told you that she thinks you're cute," he grumbled. "For once, I'm regretting my decision to learn sign language..."

I smiled at the mute girl and winked. "Thank you, I appreciate the compliment…" I looked around and put a hand to my chin in thought. "So, how many others showed up anyway?"

"...Others?" the tall boy gaped at me.

"Yeah, others," I said, motioning to the big lab we were in front of. "We're here to grab a starter Pokémon, so a bunch of other people should be here to join in...even if they don't get one of the traditional starters, the Professor would still give them something."

Personally, I was hoping his Dragonite had a mate, because that might mean a free Dratini.

Unfortunately, any hopes I had were dashed by Aiden's dark look. "I've been here since this morning...nobody else aside from the three of us showed up."

"...I think we should go inside, ASAP!" I said lowly. All in all, no other trainers showing up was probably nothing to worry about, but I must have sounded so uncharacteristic to the other two that they went ghost pale.

When I entered the lab, I saw Professor Oak dealing with some paperwork, the age old enemy of those in all government professions alike. The thing is...he seemed off, in a way that I couldn't describe. There weren't any lab assistants around, so maybe he was overwhelmed with today's workload, or he might not have even gotten sleep, what with the paperwork and all. Still, that didn't explain the man's morose expression.

Aiden saw the professor sitting at his desk and decided to walk forward, clearing his throat to get the man's attention. Professor Oak looked up quickly, and his sad expression morphed into a bright smile.

"Ah, hello Aiden! Good morning to you as well, young Mina," the man waved to the girl as she finished the signs for "good morning", then turned to me. "And young Mister Jareth...eh...What is up?"

...was he trying to be hip with the cool kids like all the old people do? I really need to fix this for him.

"I do believe the ceiling is what is up, Professor," I pointed to the ceiling above us. "Of course, the sky is also what is up, and there are probably multiple flying-types around town which are currently up."

Professor Oak looked at me mutely for several seconds, before bursting out into laughter. "Alright, I admit I was somewhat asking for that."

"Word of advice professor, if you wanna be a cool kid, tell people the things that are up when they ask," I gave him a wide grin. "Also, if somebody says "I can't even", tell them to odd instead."

I heard a small snicker behind me, and I looked to see Mina covering her mouth. The girl might have been mute, but she could clearly still make some sort of sounds, otherwise her life would be terrible.

"I'll try to take that in mind Jareth…" the professor rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I assume the three of you are here for your first Pokémon, correct? Didn't you see the news?"

"News?" I blinked. "I was busy rereading textbooks for the past week, watching Lance's last battle in the Champion League, figuring out the best training regimen for my starter, and planning on where to find my first dragon."

"Huh, that's the first you've mentioned that in the past 10 minutes," Aiden grumbled.

"Hey, I don't obsess over them all the time, I have a set time every hour for it," I told the tall boy. "I usually take a break on tuesdays and holidays."

Professor Oak let out a sigh. "Well, if you haven't heard...the special center where the starting Pokémon are bred was attacked by a criminal organization," the man looked at us apologetically. "I had one Squirtle left, but a graduate from Pokémon Tech came by yesterday to claim it."

Son of a-wait, I'm getting pissed over a shitty Squirtle? No way, that's not supposed to bother me, Oak probably has something else for us. Still, it's pretty unnerving to hear about what was probably Team Rocket _actually _being competent for once.

"Would there be an alternative for all of us?" it seems Aiden was on the same page as me as he stepped forward with a questioning look. "I don't care if you give us Magikarp, I'd take anything for my first Pokémon."

"I'd take a Magikarp for my first Pokémon, no questions asked," I said happily. "That's a free Gyarados, and that's one step closer to Dragonite."

"Haha! Unfortunately, I don't have a Magikarp at this time," the professor said cheerfully. "But you're right Aiden, I do have a few extra Pokémon to spare, I'm sure they'll be perfect for each of you."

Professor Oak motioned for us to follow him to the back of the lab, not to the futuristic pedestal-capsule that he had kept the Starters and Pikachu in, but just near the area where he kept a lot of his research papers. The professor pulled a little case off the shelf near his workspace and laid it on the table in front of us, opening it to reveal 3 Pokéballs.

"Now, each one of these were gifted to me by a fellow Pokémon Professor from another region for research purposes, though I haven't put much work towards it..." the professor put a hand to his chin in thought. "One was from Professor Elm, another from Professor Birch, and the final one I got from Professor Rowan earlier this month," Oak looked to us. "Go ahead and choose."

Aiden stared at the Pokéballs for several seconds, before his hand darted towards the leftmost capsule. The tall boy looked at it for a bit before clicking the button to release the little creature hiding within.

***FWOOSH***

"Laaaarrr!"

The Pokémon that Aiden chose was a small reptilian creature with rocky green skin and a giant spike on its head. Its turned to the tall boy and regarded him with curious red eyes. Larvitar, which would go all the way to Tyrannitar, a Pseudo-Legendary. Looks like Aiden has got luck on his side.

Mina went for the Pokéball on the far right, then looked at it apprehensively for several seconds before turning to a space where she could release it. There was a loud 'thunk' as the creature that came out fell from just an inch or so to the ground.

"Roooooonn?!"

The Pokémon that Mina chose looked up at her with wide blue eyes from its rounded white head, the plates on its face, back, and legs giving off a metallic shimmer. Aron, it wouldn't become a Pseudo-Legendary, but the entire Aggron line had stupidly high defense. The mute girl sped over to the little steel-type and snuggled it close to her face, much to the little creature's surprise.

I could only hope to Helix or Arceus that I was getting a Gible. I mean, Aron was a dead-ringer for Professor Birch, and Larvitar for Elm, so Rowan had to have given Oak something really cool. I grabbed the last Pokéball and lifted it towards an empty space, swallowing the lump in my throat as I pushed the button.

***FWOOSH***

"..."

The Pokémon I chose regarded me with unreadable red eyes surrounded by a mask of black fur that lead to two fuzzy appendages on the sides of its head that twitched every now and then. Everything aside from its chest and feet were blue, from its upright fuzzy ears to its fist-like forepaws which sported bony looking bumps on the back.

Riolu didn't have a second evolution, but Lucario were still badass in every way. Hell, just a Riolu could beat down the other two Pokémon here without breaking a sweat...Judging by the way he was looking at me though, Riolu probably wasn't interested in what I either had to say, suggest, or order. I just hoped I didn't have to get attacked by a flock of angry bird Pokémon like Ash does.

"Wonderful!" the professor cried out happily. "I'll just get your trainer licenses and League passes ready...although due to that whole debacle with the breeding centers, the league is being delayed for a few months, so all the Gyms are closed."

"Ah, that's ok Prof," I called out as I kneeled down to face my new Riolu. Both Aiden and Mina seemed to be getting along better with their new Pokémon than I was, so obviously I needed to be more personable with him. "I got it! I'll give you a name!"

"A name?" Aiden gaped at me in bewilderment. "You want to give your new Pokémon a name? What use is that?"

"It'll help me be more personable with him," I snorted at the other boy's skeptical look. "I don't get why it seems so weird, people name their Pokémon all the time."

"He's right you know," Oak said as he walked past us, a multitude of strange devices in hand. "Naming a Pokémon is rather common, and you do become more personable with with your Pokémon...I should warn the three of you now though, naming your Pokémon with a profanity can count as abuse in some circumstances, and you may lose these licenses."

"Well duh, I'm obviously not gonna name anybody Fuckface-"

"This is a TV-Y rating idiot!" Aiden growled.

"Read the manga!" I said in response before picking Riolu up. "As for you...I have the perfect name for you…" I smiled when the Emenation Pokémon gave me a confused look. "I'm gonna name you Viggo!"

"Viggo?" the tall boy grumbled. "It sounds intimidating...why Viggo though?"

The newly named Viggo also sent me a look as if to ask me the same question. The question was one I was pretty happy to answer.

"Viggo was once a great Dragon Hunter," I noticed the surprised looks from Aiden and Mina. "Before you question it, Dragon Hunter Viggo changed his opinion on dragon-types after he was stuck in a cave-in during a hunt. A dragon-type found him, and instead of killing him the dragon saved his life," I smirked at Riolu Viggo as he glared at me. "So Dragon Hunter Viggo decided to protect dragon-types til the day he died."

Mina gave me a closed-eyed smile and made a few signs. "She said that she liked your reasoning for his name" Aiden translated.

Viggo the Riolu on the other hand, didn't seem like he was a fan of it. Viggo narrowed his red eyes at me in annoyance before turning his head away from me stubbornly. Obviously this would be a work in progress, but I wasn't gonna go the Ash route and nearly die to a bunch of stupid birds with knife-beaks.

"Alright, here you go!" Professor Oak walked over to us with 3 plastic cards and a large briefcase. "These are your Trainers Licenses, they're also government property so if you damage them it'll be a federal offense," immediately after he handed us our trainer licenses, he lifted the briefcase towards us and opened it. "And these are your Pokédexs, I don't think I need to tell you what they're for. However, they are also government property, and they're nigh irreplaceable. They can be used as-"

"A general ID Card, a pass for entering Pokémon Leagues and Tournaments, a Passport for other regions, a Credit Card, an Insurance Card..." I chittered off, causing the Professor to blanch. I quickly held my hands up defensively and sent him an apologetic look. "Sorry, I had to memorize it for the test and it just stuck with me."

"Don't worry about it!" Oak said happily. "Now then, I think I have the spare Pokéballs for each of you around here somewhere…"

* * *

Viggo stared at me blankly from his spot on the bed with narrowed eyes, the streamer-like appendages on his head having risen into the air. For some reason, I could _feel _how annoyed he was, as though his own emotions were just that palpable in the air.

"_Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. Riolu is able to use aura to communicate its emotions. If it is sad or afraid, its aura waves will intensify._"

Thank you Pokédex, now I have a good idea as to what's going on. "Listen, I know you're not happy about this arrangement, but come on! I'm not so bad," I grimaced when Viggo turned his head away with a low huff. "I mean, the gyms are all closed for the next few months, so we'll just be travelling around in the woods, catching our own food and finding new Pokémon for the team" once again, a huff, followed by a sneer that showed off pearly white fangs. "Plus, Professor Oak will want updates since he still wants to do research, so I can cheer you on while you train your aura powers."

Once again, Viggo gave me another cold glare. I would have tried to deal with my tsundere(?) Riolu more if it weren't for the fact that Cait dropped by.

***CRASH***

"Agh! Shit!"

And by dropped by, I mean crashed, because somehow this woman can crash every flying type she owns.

"Good morning Cait, how was your flight?"

"Eeeeh...everything hurts…"

"Sounds about right," I called out, noticing the Pokémon she flew in on. "Hey Skarmory, you hungry?"

"Skaaaaaaa…" the steel bird looked over to me with a pained grimace, then to the rest of my apartment.

"Relax, just keep your wings sheathed and it'll be fine," I grabbed the bag of flying-type food and the clean bowl Cait lent me years ago. "Besides, my lease ends at the end of the week, I'll be hanging around in the woods by then."

"Ugh...hey Jar, I get that you're excited for your first Pokémon, but today I think you should temper your expectations," the woman grimaced as Skarmory looked at us nervously before darting his eyes away as fast as he could. "Team Rocket, that criminal organization that's making waves, they attacked a breeding center for the starters. I think you may need to wait a few months kiddo, I'm really-"

"Ri…" Viggo chose the correct time to walk into the room to see the commotion, his previous glare now replaced with a curious look directed towards the steel-bird eating nearby.

"...Jareth, what is that?"

"That's Viggo, the Riolu Professor Oak gave to me," I said cheerfully. "He has alternatives for starters, remember that guy who once got an Eevee years ago?"

Cait didn't respond, instead she simply stared at my new blue fighting jackal. Then she ran towards him and pulled off the ground, almost immediately nuzzling his face while cooing.

"He's so adorable!"

"Ri?!"

"Ah! He even sounds cute, he's just so precious…" the small brunette cuddled my fighting-type for several long seconds before noticing something. "Eh? Why is giving you that weird look?"

"Oh, he hates my guts," my statement was confirmed by Viggo's low huff. "Yeah, definitely hates my guts, no doubt about it."

"Oh boy…" Cait watched as the fighting-type's glare turned into a flat look directed towards her, causing her to set him down. "Yeah, now I'm kinda worried. You sure things will work out between you two?"

"I'm remaining optimistic about it. I mean, I gave him a cool name to start," I ignored Viggo's annoyed huff. "Now we just gotta travel for a bit, train, get some dragons, train those dragons, train some more...most of it will be training, but since he's a fighting-type I'll have to learn karate and all that."

"Wait, fighting type?!" the short brunette looked at the little jackal-like Pokémon. "Huh...I don't actually see it."

"Pokédex says it, which means he'll probably be useful for a bunch of the gyms I'm planning on going for," I put a hand to my chin in thought. "Well, except for that psychic-type gym in Saffron, but that's a ways out-"

"Don't!"

Caitlyn's voice was just so uncharacteristic from how long I've known her, that I was genuinely startled by it. I was even more unnerved by the haunting look she gave me, a similar dark look decorating Skarmory's face as he pulled his head up to stop eating. Even Viggo, who I knew wasn't my biggest fan at the moment, darted behind my leg nervously.

"Ok, why not the psychic Gym in Saffron?" I asked.

"Jareth, just trust me on this," the woman ran a hand through her hair as she looked to the ceiling. "There are actually 10 Gyms in each region, and they're all optional since you only require 8 badges...I tried to get the Marsh Badge, same as Sara, we picked who to challenge the Gym first via rock-paper-scissors…" Cait pinned me down with a fierce glare. "The woman who leads the Gym...she's batshit insane, you can't fight her."

"No promises Cait."

"Jareth, I mean it! Please, for your own safety, don't ever go to the Gym in Saffron City."

"Alright, I'll try to avoid it...what's the worst that could happen anyway? Do I get turned into a doll or something?"

"Or something…" the woman rubbed her head in exasperation. "You have everything packed, right?"

"Yeah, I've got the basics," I said, running through my satchel. "Multiple changes of clothes, tent, sleeping bag, a bed for Viggo, fold up fishing rod, some basic cooking supplies, all the stuff I'd need…" I looked back to Cait. "Hey, you want the stuff you gave me back? I mean, I did buy the food, but the bowl is definitely yours."

"Eh, I'll probably get it later. Social services will pick up anything else that isn't owned by the apartment complex," the small brunette gave me a pained smile. "I'm...I'm really gonna miss you, y'know that?"

"You'll see me around, I'll probably be on TV in some tournaments-" I grimaced as the woman started to cry inelegantly and pulled me into a bear hug. "Oh boy...I'll be fine Cait, you don't need to worry about me."

"I know, it's just…" the brunette sniffled. "I've known you for so long, and I've been looking for you all this time, and now you're gonna be on your own. I just so worried about you!"

I let out a sigh and patted the woman on the back. "You're not gonna let me go for a whole hour, aren't you?"

"No!" the brunette cried petulantly into my chest.

"Ha...well then…"

* * *

**TIME SKIP (literally 4 hours later)**

"Alright then, this looks like a good spot!"

Route 1 of Kanto, a large stretch of plains and mixed woodlands. Decent for people just starting out on their journey, with plenty of Pokémon for people who were just starting out. Nearby was a large river leading to the ocean just south of Pallet, which was probably filled with all sorts of water types. I wanted to catch at least two in particular, but I figured it'd be good to set up first.

"This'll be great V, you and I can camp out, there are probably some fish Pokémon we can eat, I can set up a fire to cook with," I ignored the fighting-type's glare once again as I tried to set up our tent. "Would you chill, until I catch a Magikarp or a Horsea, it's just the two of us."

"Ri…" the jackal-like creature let out an annoyed grunt.

"Then once the league finally starts and the gyms open again, we can start with Pewter City."

"Ri?"

"I think the Gym Leader there has a bunch of rock-types you can knock around, with the right training I'm pretty sure you could one-shot an Onix."

"Ri…" I saw Viggo turn his head away from me stubbornly from the corner of my eye. For a split second, I thought I saw a look of horror growing on his face, but it was probably just my imagination.

"Now, I know you probably won't be a fan of most of the Pokémon we'll be nabbing, since they're flying-types and you being a fighting-type and all, but I think you'll get along pretty well with them."

"..."

"I mean, sure Gyarados can be pretty abrasive...or violent, and Horsea stop being happy and giggly once they evolve into Seadra, but Dragonite always love a good hug if they have the right temperament."

"..."

"Although, you'll probably be pretty at odds with an Aerodactyl, considering the weird typing, and all the ones raised from fossils are actually pretty unbalanced, but we should be good."

"..." I noticed Viggo backing up towards me slowly, and I finally realized that he looked genuinely terrified.

"Eh, what's wrong bud? You look like you've seen...oh…" I finally saw exactly what he was staring in terror at. "Oh shit! You guys aren't supposed to show up for another month!"

The Pokédex beeped. "_Beedrill is extremely territorial. No one should ever approach its nest—this is for their own safety. If angered, they will attack in a furious swarm._"

Looks like I'm going the Ash route, in a sense, because glaring at us from the trees were hundreds of blood red eyes with thousands of beady eyes accompanying them. The annual Beedrill migration, where they produced the next generation of Weedle that would rejoin the colony when they fully evolved. This specific group _should _have been in Viridian Forest, but clearly they must have decided on a change in location.

"Alright V, just remain cool," I whispered to the fighting-type. "These guys are really bad, but you just have to avoid setting them off. As long as we just leave slowly, without doing anything they would find threatening, they'll leave us be."

"_Not a good idea!_" the Pokédex chimed in. "_Wild Pokémon can often be jealous of or annoyed by the existence of trainer owned Pokémon._"

I know everybody made slave jokes about the series in my old life, but that piece of information? Well, it seems correct, considering the Beedrill were glaring at Viggo just as much as they were at me. The weedle didn't look like they were gonna pull any punches either.

"Ok, look, can't we just talk this out?" I said loudly, enough that they'd all heard me but pathetically enough that they might not attack me. "Listen, I'll pack up all my camp supplies and the two of us will just head on out of-"

"ZZZZZTTTTT!"

"OH FUCK!"

The Beedrill crashed down on us like a fallen brick, their spear hands jabbing towards us in a frenzy. To prevent our escape, the thousands of Weedle used String Shot, disregarding whether we were in their crosshairs. Soon the entire field near the river was covered in sticky silk to cut off our escape, all while the horde of Poison Bees stabbed at us.

"Viggo, do something! Use...ah shit! Try Quick Attack or-"

***WOOOSH***

***CRACK***

Viggo gaped into open space, turning around to look at the dozens of Weedle he had just fell. The Beedrill let out loud buzzing cries at the sight of their fallen young, only driving themselves and the remaining Weedle into an even greater fervor. I stared at the unconscious bug-types in shock, then smirked wildly.

"Viggo, use Quick Attack again," I said cockily.

The Riolu was suddenly surrounded by a white outline, and his face hardened. He faced another several dozen Weedle and charged forward, a stream of white light trailing behind him as he ran past the bug types. The fighting-type turned to see the bugs still standing on their multiple legs, smirking when they fell unconscious after several seconds of mutely staring at the spot where he had just been.

"Haha, alright!" I smirked as Viggo jumped up happily. Any celebration we prepared was cut short when a Beedrill flew towards the blue dog. "Viggo use...shit, what do-AHA! Use Force Palm!"

I didn't think it would work, since Riolu only learned that move at level 15 in the games. Even if levels didn't exist in a real life version of Pokémon, I had no idea if Viggo had _just _hatched from his egg or not.

"URI!"

Seems I got lucky though, because Viggo slammed his palm straight into the Poison Bee's abdomen, a shockwave sounding out and air visibly displacing as it connected. There was a slightly delayed reaction, but Beedrill flew over a hundred feet back nonetheless. The rest of the horde looked to their fallen comrade, waiting for him to get up. When he showed no signs of consciousness, they turned their glares back to us.

"Viggo, Screech!" the fighting-type did as I said and let out a loud scream at the horde, causing the Beedrill to clutch their heads in pain. The weedle clearly had it worse though, not only was their defense lowered but they were also moving around without the ability to hear. "Alright, Quick attack on as many Weedle as you can take on."

***FWOOOSH***

***CRAAACK***

That was at least 1/6th of the army of weedle, not enough to truly dent them, but enough to make them nervous.

"Alright V, you're doing great!" my cheering was cut off when the fighting-type sent me a fresh glare. "Alright, I get it, we're still not cool yet...just keep screeching at the Beedrill and take out the Weedle I guess."

Viggo let out a huff before moving onto the rest of the Weedle, mowing as many down with Quick Attack as he could, until he had taken out almost a fourth of the horde. I was like a Delibird at christmas at the sight of how strong my first Pokémon was...then my hopes were dashed when I saw how winded he was. I had asked too much of him, and now he was over his limits, something the Weedle took notice of.

The larval Pokémon shook their heads just as their tinnitus cleared up, pointing their horns straight at the fighting-type. Viggo was too tired to dodge the massive amount of silk flying towards his legs. The most he could do was smack away the Weedle that got too close, which was stopped by a String Shot straight from above.

I didn't think that there would be a Beedrill that had _kept _String Shot, but this Beedrill wasn't one of the normal ones. He was the largest of the entire colony, meaning he was probably the leader, and he was the most visible due to his color. Bright green with piercing blue eyes that glared down at Viggo and I, its massive spear-tipped limbs ready to attack. The bug-type flew down towards my Pokémon and pointed a spear at him.

"Viggo, Force Palm!" I cried out, hoping that he could still move something. Thankfully, one arm shot forward and slammed straight into the Shiny Beedrill's abdomen, once again creating a shockwave and displacing air at the point of impact.

It was utterly useless, considering how bright its body glowed the moment it was hit. Beedrill normally had useless defense, but this thing had also decided to keep Harden in its arsenal. Viggo stared in shock and terror as the Shiny prepared its attack.

***smack***

An attack that it wasn't gonna make, because I threw a rock into the things head. The Shiny looked over to me, the little expression it had on its insectoid face showing how bewildered it was.

"Yeah, I threw a rock at you, jackass!" I flung another rock straight into its head. "I'll keep doing it, you hear me? Get the hell away from Viggo or I'll start picking up bigger rocks to throw!"

The other Beedrill flew back just a bit, either in shock or unease. The lead Beedrill changed from being surprised to being _absolutely livid_. The thing flew towards me, spears outstretched in my direction threateningly. I simply picked up the biggest rock I could find and threw it straight into its face.

The rock slamming into the Shiny Beedrill's face, combined with the momentum of his flight towards me, caused the most unceremonious landing I had ever seen. The poor bastard even made Caitlyn look good. I gaped in shock at the green bug slumped at my feet, before looking to the rest of the colony.

Considering they just watched their leader get knocked out by a rock, they obviously took exception to that. All of them charged me, and it was through years of exercise and my adrenaline that I was able to dodge the attacks. The only reason I didn't try to run was Viggo, who was still stuck in a mass of silk.

I saw several Beedrill and the remaining Weedle speeding towards him, and my body seemed to move on its own. The next second, I was looming over the fighting-type, a small amount of blood dripping from my mouth. I looked behind me to see several spear-tipped limbs stabbing into me.

"Hehe...guess I'm not gonna get any dragons after all…" I croaked out, looking back to Viggo and dozens of gawking weedle. "Sorry V, I get that you don't like me, but I didn't want you to get hurt," my hand darted forward weakly and I tore the fighting-type from the string as best as I could. "Go on then, you can get started on running...just tell Professor Oak how I died...heh...Here I come you cherry donut motherfucker, here I come to laugh in your face…"

I just barely registered Viggo's violent shaking, considering I was dying and all. What actually kept me awake, aside from the adrenaline and my failing will to live, was the loud voice that pierced straight into my brain.

"_YOU BASTARDS!" _

Viggo put his hands together, a bright blue glow surrounding him as a ball of energy formed between his hands. The last thing I saw before everything faded was Viggo firing as many of these energy balls as he could.

* * *

"Oh goodness! He's finally waking up!"

Hmm? That voice sounds pretty familiar...where the hell am I? The hell is that beeping noise? My eyes opened up to see a white ceiling, several IV drips attached to me, and a bright light being shone in my left eye by a man in a white coat.

"Agh!"

"Ah, sorry son," the doctor said sheepishly, pulling the light away from my eye. "You're very lucky that those Beedrill didn't envenom you. It was still quite surprising that they weren't in Viridian Forest, but still…"

"Yeah, that was out of left field...hold up!" I looked to the doctor in terror. "Where's Viggo?!"

"Hmm? Who is this Viggo?"

"My Riolu dumbass! He's a blue fighting-type with red-eyes," I snarled when the man looked at me dumbly. "Just where the hell is he? If he's dead, then I could never forgive myself, so just tell me-"

"RI!" I jumped at the loud cry and grunted loudly as a tiny blue blur slammed into me. I looked down as Viggo locked me in a desperate hug, the fighting-type looking no worse for wear.

"How long was I out?"

"Four days," the doctor said. "Your wounds aren't quite healed yet, but you'll live...you'll have quite a lot of scars, but people like to say that builds character."

"And Viggo?" I asked nervously, looking down at the small blue aura manipulator.

"You're quite lucky to have such a loyal Pokémon even after just starting your journey, young man," a voice called out from the side. "He practically dragged you while you were half-alive into town while he himself was bruised and battered."

I looked over to see a blue-eyed, pink-haired woman in a nurse uniform giving me a concerned glare, a chansey standing beside her and humming happily. Nurse Joy closed her eyes and her jaw clenched.

"The poor thing, he kept trying to break out of the Pokémon Center to get to you," she looked over to Viggo as he hung onto me.

"Ah, I'm really sorry if he gave you any trouble...thanks for taking care of him though, I was worried," I shook my head and looked dumbly at my surroundings."Where am I anyway?"

"You're in a Hospital, where injured people usually go," the doctor said flatly.

"Alright, I get it," I waved the man off. "Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer in return."

"That's a good way to put it, I suppose," the doctor looked over his clipboard. "Well, I've already taken the liberty to contact your sponsoring Professor, young man."

Aww, shit…"

"And I've even contacted a young woman who is apparently on your contact list."

Oh shit!

"Ah...guess that's the end of my run then, huh?"

"Don't fret over that," Nurse Joy waved her hand at me dismissively. "Yes, you rustled a Beedrill colony-"

"I didn't rustle them up, they attacked for no reason!"

"But the Beedrill attacking you may actually be a positive thing," the pinkette ignored my protests. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have known the Beedrill colony had changed their breeding grounds in the first place. Now we can warn away other trainers for their own safety."

"That's nice and all, but what about my stuff?" I flinched as the two adults gave me confused looks. "I couldn't exactly grab my stuff and bring it here with me, what with the fact that I came down with a bad case of stabbing and all."

"Well, that's your own fault then," the doctor said matter of factly, to which I sweatdropped. "I'll let you get your rest young man, but you should know that you'll most likely have several calls waiting for you."

"I'll be taking my leave as well," Nurse Joy said calmly. "You're in a condition where I don't have to constantly worry over you, and your Pokémon is perfectly healthy."

After they left, my hands instantly moved to my temples. "Son of a bitch...I hope I don't lose my Trainer license," I hissed lowly as I looked over my bandaged form. "I just hope Cait doesn't freak out, or worse, go on a long spiel about how she told me so."

Viggo stared up at me blankly, before lifting his paw up and jabbing it forward.

"OW! You poked me!"

"_You deserve to be poked, idiot!"_

"...So you _can _talk?" I gaped at the fighting-type in awe.

Viggo simply huffed and folded his arms. "_I don't talk dumbass! Talking requires that you move your mouth and form full words and sentences. If I use my mouth, I can only say my species name."_

"Ok then, what are you doing then?"

"_Telepathy," _the fighting-type said simply. "_At least, that's what I think it's called...that other old guy, Rowan, said that he heard some Legendaries can use it too."_

"When you say 'telepathy', can you also read minds? Can you mess with people's heads, like mess with their mental commands to their bodies?" Viggo stared dumbly at me, my questions going right over his head. "I read comic books and watch superhero movies, so I know my shit man. Do you just speak with your mind then?"

"_Yeah, it's just the speaking thing," _Viggo grumbled.

"Ha, that's sweet!" I cried out, flinching at the flash of pain searing through me. "I guess we have a bit to talk about, huh?"

"_Aside from your dumbass throwing rocks at maniacs like that Beedrill?"_ Viggo snorted at me. "_How 'bout my name? Really, Viggo? You named me for the northern word for 'battle' of all things!"_

"It also means 'fight' too, and you are a fighting-type," I 'tched' at his flat glare. "Plus, I literally explained your namesake right in front of you. It'll be poetic, since I'm gonna grab all the dragon-types in the world."

"_Yeah, you didn't hold yourself back when you took your chance once every hour to talk about them…"_

"I take a break on tuesdays and holidays y'know," I gave Viggo a smile. "Listen, I get that you haven't been happy about the arrangement, but can you at least try to tolerate me?"

The Riolu huffed and turned his head away. "_I'm fine with you as my trainer...for starters, it's better than being in Sinnoh, considering how unsafe my situation was there. Also, you nearly died to save my life, I'm too grateful to just want to leave you."_

"That sweet…" I put a hand to my chin in thought as I remembered something from the fight four days prior. "Hey, before I passed out, I saw you make this energy ball? Was that Aura Sphere?"

"_Yeah, it was…" _Viggo grimaced as I tilted my head questioningly. "_Well, I don't exactly advertise how special I am. That's what got me eating trash in Jubilife, and how I nearly died to...that thing one time," _the fighting-type sighed. "_The only good thing that happened to me was when I was found by one of Rowan's aides, and after a few months with the old man, he shipped me off to another region entirely. Now I'm here with you, but at least most of the good stuff that happened to me was because I didn't use my power to manipulate aura like an elder would." _

"Hurtful dude," I said with a small chuckle. "You don't have to use your aura powers until we get to the end of the league itself, then you can go all out."

"_I'll go all out if I want to idiot!" _

"Ok, whatever you want bud," I gave the blue dog Pokémon a weak smile. "Thanks...for choosing to stay with me, for now at least," I let out a pained groan at my still healing wounds. "I guess resting for the next few days would be nice, huh?"

"_Don't get too comfortable, the other old man said he wanted to talk to you about something even before the injury thing," _Viggo gave me a flat look. "_Tch, whatever, go ahead and sleep those cuts off dumbass…"_

* * *

**TIME SKIP (just a few days later)**

"_Do we really have to grab our stuff?"_

"Yes Viggo, we really need to grab our stuff," I said flatly. "That has my Pokédex, which I should really keep on my person from now on, spare Pokéballs for catching things, all my camping supplies and extra clothes, and the fishing rod! We need a fishing rod!"

"_To catch dragons?"_

"No, to catch food…" I looked at the blue dog Pokémon from over my shoulder. "Do you wanna be stuck in the woods without the means to get good food? Because I want to have a nice fish dinner once in a while."

"_Alright you got me there," _the fighting-type cringed. "_I can't catch water Pokémon with my paws, tried it once and it was the absolute worst...I guess it also helps that it's on the way back to the old man, huh?"_

"Yeah, that's something I'm excited about," I let out a tiny giggle as I rubbed my hands together. "He wants us to deliver something to Blackthorn city, all the way in Johto! I was the first one to answer his call too, so this is just perfect. I bet there's like some secret test I can take there to get my own Dratini or something."

"_Don't get your hopes up…"_ Viggo looked around, noticing the river running past us, and the destroyed landscape before us. "_We're here."_

"Yup, and there's all our stuff," I walked over to my discarded pack and the surprisingly intact tent I hadn't finished setting up. "Agh...everything still hurts…"

"_Walk it off, just like that idiot doctor said," _Viggo looked around and hardened his features. "_Shit, they're back!"_

"Who's back?" I followed the fighting-type's gaze to see the colony of Beedrill, the Shiny leader in the front glaring coldly at the two of us. "Oh...you guys here to stab me again?" I asked, giving them a lopsided grin. "Come to finish what you started huh? It ain't gonna go the same way, trust me."

"_Shush! They'll just get more pissed off!"_

"I threw a rock at their boss, it's not like they-" anything I would say next was cut off by this _feeling _that suddenly permeated throughout the area. It was so oppressive, it was like my body was being dragged down to the ground by its own weight, as though my own emotions were going to make my brain burst.

Every Pokémon in the area must have felt it too, I saw Viggo dropping to his knees and the entire colony of Beedrill forcibly landing and shaking in their exoskeletons. Mankey jumped from the trees and fled even as the pressure pulled them down. Different flying-types had to jump from the trees, unable to even lift off at how much weight was pulling on them.

The source of all this? The spooky ass portal that opened up between my partner and I, and the colony of Beedrill. Two eyes redder than the most evil and murderous shade of red, peered from within, and their owner soon rose from the shadows. It looked like goop at first, a mass of shadowy goop, but then it seemed to form into a thick head and neck covered in sharp, circular crests. Then the thing rose further, followed by two shadowy appendages that seemed to shift between being freaky arms or batlike wings with claws on them.

Finally, its multi-limbed reptilian body rose from the shadowy portal, straight into the air with outstretched wings. The goop covering it fell back into the portal, revealing a draconic, dark-grey monster with red and black accents, its body tipped by either circular crests, legguards, and even sharp claws that all seemed to be made completely of gold.

Giratina, ruler of the Distortion World, and the master of gravity and antimatter, looked around aimlessly. His gaze practically passed me over, but it still nearly sent me into a panic attack at the thought that he might choose to take an _interest _in me. The Renegade Pokémon simply snorted in dissatisfaction, before flapping his monstrous shadowy wings. Dust and debris flew around us as what was practically _the devil _flew off into the wide blue sky.

Even after he was long gone, all the Beedrill huddled on the ground, many of them curled up into a ball and shivering. Despite having olive skin, my skin had turned the _whitest shade of white _at the feeling Giratina had forced onto me. Viggo finally shook himself from his satan induced stupor.

"_WHAT WAS THAT THING?!"_

"I'm guessing it was a dragon of some sorts…" I said weakly, my brain working hard to catch up with me.

"_That thing was some sort of monster, a living nightmare...and I've seen an ACTUAL living nightmare, so I know my shit man."_

"Hmm…" I shuddered violently for several seconds, before deciding to finish stashing my tent. "Welp, let's get going, Professor Oak might not be happy that we're late, even if I'm supposed to take it easy."

"_Wait, you're just gonna ignore that?"_

"Ignore the scary goop-dragon monster that probably came from another universe? Yeah, I'm thinking I should prolly ignore it."

"_You're not worried about it? You're not even going to question what it was here for?"_

"That'll just get me more confused…" I tried my best to give Viggo a cheerful look. "The thing that's always worked for me has been to roll with the punches, no matter what happens."

"_Even when you see an evil shadow dragon?"_

"It's not like I won't see something like that again," I put a hand to my chin in thought. "Or, something similar at least."

Viggo stared at me in mute shock before huffing angrily. "_Ugh...lets just get out of here…"_

* * *

**Will our heroes get along better in the coming months? **

**Will Jareth be able to make rapid movements without feeling the urge to scream in pain?**

**Why did the author make Giratina show up instead of something more sensible?**

**Why do kids LOVE the taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch? **

**Tune in next chapter to find out!**

* * *

**Trainer Name: Jareth (No Surname ATM)**

**Pokémon team:**

**Viggo (Riolu). Know moves: Aura Sphere, Screech, Quick Attack, Force Palm.**

* * *

**There we go, virtual cookies for those who get the reference for Viggo's name. If you're confused as to why the starter is a telepathic fighting type, it's because Lucario didn't die for our sins, he died to save a crystal tree owned by a cat. Now then, onto the reviews.**

**verycoolname: There's gonna be a mix of dark and humor, considering I'm basing some parts of of Origins, Generations, and the Manga, but for the most part I've just been getting into the Pokémon spirit by rewatching the original series in all of it's cheesy, punny glory. As for those Pokédex entries, yeah they won't be wholly accurate. Houndoom will have painful fire, but it's not unending, and Haunter licks will only give people the Jibblies...Misdreavus are gonna be little shits though, that's not something I'd change. **

**Coldblue2015: Jareth has only had mock battles at camp so far, and befriended his social worker's flying types, currently his discount starter is the only one he has. There will be a Unova arc...somewhere along the line, where he and Rosa will reconnect. Charmander obviously isn't his starter, for a good reason (prepare for trouble!) so he'll only get one in the Kalos arc. As for his first dragon-type, he'll get his first _dragon _Pokémon in a few chapters (it'll be Horsea), but he won't get a Dratini until a few chapters after he gets to Blackthorn City.**

**MM995: Hehe...thanks for the tip (furiously edits _everything_). Believe it or not, some high school writing classes were "sink-or-swim", so I still have old habits from back then to correct. Already went back and fixed it.**

**For everybody else, please leave any thoughts, questions, and constructive c****riticism in your reviews.**


	3. 2Spooky4Me

**Here we go, back with another chapter. Sorry for delays on all my stuff, my magical procrastination curse takes hold at the worst of times. Combine it with writers block, and you have a bad combo. Aside from that, there's a certain thing that was keeping me busy for a bit...that thing being SANS!**

**Thank you to followers and Favoriters: ivangironestalaya, Episoph, xXCainXx, Crystal-Wolf-900, gabi7t, Blaze2121, Wrath Of The Storm, arnix, Frost Thorn, snoidragonz, plm267, tsukiyomi83, F4LL3N1, Raizel Brunestud, ordinary-average, Maladrius, SkiaGX, valeryfer, V1DEOGAMER, burntnachos, Music Minded, turtles5050, Monstertrainer, UMGaming, xbamsod, zero1991, S3vEn, kyuby7, Dementrus, Talactraz, Pedro52, Unlimitedlikes, alessandrohlsjr, Doctor Doofenshmirtz, Chandler551, I0ren, glix357, Random-man, kd35693, Energy Dragon Slayer, Krios530, Creus, vastolordmask, Era of Kings, Zyr0TruthCanExist, THEToken1, DustyDusty, Lord-of-Walruses, cerrxer1, Shad0w cat, Weirdo hv, PandaWarz, ews1, XluciferX, MidnightFenrir, desdelor97, zein2012, The Plague Doctor, Alexander Ph, Twopennames, Scythlay, Sunfang193, Polar Nexus, bloodswordsman, nipunkhan823, XiaoHong, Retsel, Angelique Hywell, anndriiea, Stranger9, guren769, edumicael12316, Ojmandias, lucky007, PhoenixBlaze123, El Sabio Gris, termineter, Douggernaut, TheOrangeLord, Shady Lucifer, ChaosMedivalDukemon, Matheusae3, EternalDusk, joaocapelas, Baelor77, Baracudaz, sukihime-chi, Obliumm, The Immortal Aegis, Shrimpknight67, Ahliwashere, Hiniko, sabu90, illakir, and rainbowjeremy. **

**Apologies if I've missed your name, it's because the FF doc format doesn't allow certain words to be formatted (For instance, adding a . before "Dr"). **

**Dialogue format:**

"Talking"

"_Pokédex speaking_" (has normal quotation marks but italic speech)

_"Telepathy" _(everything in italics!)

"Speaking" \- ?

* * *

**When we last left our heroes, the two had gone to retrieve their belongings, discarded during a near fatal bout with a colony of Beedrill. Just when the two prepared to deal with them yet again, the Legendary Pokémon Giratina rose from its home in the distortion world for unknown reasons before flying off. Now the two are en route to the infamous Blackthorn City to deliver a package for Professor Oak. What strange events will befall them along the way?**

* * *

"Fucking narrators…"

"_Eh, the hell are you going on about?"_ Viggo growled mentally.

"Nothing, now lemme focus on fishing," I said, motioning to the rod I was holding over the river we had stopped at. "There might be something cool in here, like a Magikarp."

"_Magikarp? They're everywhere, what's so special about them?"_ the small fighting-type prodded the package next to our satchel. "_What does the old man want us to deliver anyway? This thing smells weird…"_

"It's probably some Dragon Scales, he has a Dragonite and it probably sheds," I put a hand to my chin in thought. "Dragon-type trainers usually pay a lot for Dragon Scales, since they're always a bit cheaper than Dragon Fangs or Dragon Gems. The scales don't power up dragon-types as much, but for beginners it's a good start...oh, you can also evolve a Seadra with a scale, if I'm remembering it right."

"_Must be great huh? To go to a city of people exactly like you."_

"It is exciting, but being excited right now would be pretty counterintuitive," I motioned to the fishing line. "I need the utmost concentration here!"

"_To catch a Magikarp?"_

"Yes, a Magikarp, then I finally have one dragon."

Viggo tilted his head towards the fishing line. "_I think you should check the line then, cause you have something."_

I blinked at my starter in confusion before looking back to my fishing rod, finding that yes, the line was being furiously tugged on. A giddy smile spread across my face as I pulled with all my strength on the line, dragging the aquatic creature through the water.

"Damn fish! TAKE THIS!" I let out a roar to the heavens as I made a great heave on the line, finally pulling the Pokémon out of the water.

My smile grew wider as I was treated to the sight of a red fish with golden whiskers and three-peaked fins. The Magikarp splashed around uselessly and gulped at the air in shock at having finally been caught.

"_Magikarp, the Fish Pokémon,_" the Pokédex chimed in. "_Magikarp is virtually useless in battle as it can only splash around. As a result, it is considered to be weak. However, it is actually a very hardy Pokémon that can survive in any body of water no matter how polluted it is._"

"HA! Now then," I grabbed one of the empty Pokéballs from my belt. "You're mine Magikarp! Pokéball, go-"

***THWUMP***

***SMAACK***

Several seconds later, I was lifting myself off the ground, looking around for the Magikarp I was trying to catch. Said fish was nowhere to be found, and I could barely think with the excruciating pain spreading throughout my cheek.

"What the hell happened?"

"_The Magikarp jumped and smacked you in the face,"_ Viggo provided. "_Also it got away, the thing used you as a launching point to get back into the river."_

"SON OF A BITCH!" I roared.

"_Can we get moving now?"_ the fighting-type grumbled.

"Yeah, sure I guess…" I collapsed the fishing rod and placed it back in the satchel, grabbing onto Oak's package as an afterthought. "It's pretty close to noon though, we'll walk for a few more hours before setting up camp somewhere."

"_Hey, there's something that's been bugging me for a while,"_ Viggo paced a few feet in front of me as we began to walk. "_Why didn't you tell the old man about that monster that showed up? He's supposed to be interested in that sort of thing, right?"_

"Well, for starters, it'd be too good to be true little guy," I pulled the Pokédex out and opened the device. "Plus, the Pokédex says no data registered during that time."

"_ERROR! No data incurred, device experienced irregular shutdowns and malfunctions during time period of…_" the Dex chittered off the time period Giratina showed up, thus illustrating my point.

"See? The Pokédex was on the fritz the entire time, so we don't have anything on the big spooky dragon that flew off," I put a hand to my chin in thought. "Even if I could use the wild Pokémon behaving strangely as evidence, that'd be it."

"_Still, would have been better to tell him,"_ the fighting-type gesticulated wildly. "_Think about it, more people are bound to see that thing. If we had told the old man about it, he wouldn't be so surprised when other people report it in." _

"Fair enough," I pulled out a large map. "So, along the way there are a bunch of sanctioned camp sites, and we might end up meeting other trainers who would want to battle-"

"_Pass,"_ the fighting-type said blithely. "_You haven't even started training me yet, so I'm probably gonna be utter shit."_

"You're right, I'll probably get to working on training once we get to Blackroot, that way we won't be caught off guard when we're finally at Blackthorn City," I scrutinized the map for a bit more. "Oh hey! There's a bed and breakfast just an hour away, how does that sound?"

"_Bed and breakfast?"_

"Basically, just a nicer motel," I said with a shrug. "The one nearby is called "Blacktree Inn", not much to go on from there."

"_If it has a bed, I'm down," _Viggo jumped up happily. "_This Blacktree place can't be too bad, can it?"_

**A little over an hour later**

The moment we got to Blacktree Inn, I instantly got some Old Chateau and Strange House vibes. Blacktree was a Victorian style house, its roof and walls different hues of grey and black, all both depressing and daunting. The windows were covered by wavy, white see-through curtains, and though it seemed like a trick of the light, I swore I saw a face at the very top window, where the attic would be. The whole place just screamed the word "Haunted" and was both bidding you to enter and forbidding such a foolish action.

"...So, you still wanna go in?" I asked the blue fighting-type.

"_I don't get what the problem is,"_ Viggo said defensively, pointing to a nearby sign. "_The sign right over there says it's the inn, and there's a vacancy sign too."_

"V, it's a creepy house in the middle of the woods. There's no way there aren't ghosts, or zombies, or who knows what."

"_I think you're forgetting the Were-Lycanroc there, boss."_

"Those aren't undead, they're just people who turn into feral Pokémon," I continued scrutinizing the clearly haunted house. "Still not sure if it's a good idea to spend the night here...I just know there's gonna be some creepy receptionist who wants to wear our skin or something," I looked back to Viggo, noticing that the fighting-type had shrunk in on himself. "Hey, what's wrong V? Is there like some weird aura or-" I was cut off when I saw a couple of people heading our way.

They were two near identical blonde boys, maybe around my age, both fitting the 'nerdy' stereotype, based on their specialty glasses. On the other hand, one was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, and the other went for a casual flannel shirt and jeans. The guy in the t-shirt was a bit on the chubby side, but seemed ok for the most part. Both of them walked up to the Inn and tilted their heads at me inquisitively.

"Hey, is this place Blacktree Inn?" Flannel-shirt asked.

"Yeah, based on the map it is," I showed them my map and pointed to our location, before motioning to the sign nearby. "Plus, there's a sign with big bold letters over there, so this is probably it."

Flannel-shirt stared at the house flatly for several seconds. "That place...is definitely haunted, no doubt about it."

"How would you know?!" Flannel-shirt's companion groaned. "All houses this old look creepy, doesn't mean they're all haunted."

"No, but most of them are, and all it takes is most of them…" Flannel-shirt looked over to me and blinked owlishly. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't even introduce myself. I'm Collin, and this is my little brother."

"Name's Ian, nice to meet ya," the chubby blonde said kindly.

"I'm Jareth, it's great to meet you two," I placed a hand on my starter's head and gave him some light headpats. "This little guy is Viggo, he's my starter."

Collin tilted his head at the fighting-type. "Huh, pretty neat look for a water-type."

"Actually, he's a pure fighting-type," I quickly corrected.

"...Oh!" the bespectacled boy flinched at this and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I just sorta assumed because of the color."

"Eh, it's alright," I ignored the fighting-types grumbles as I looked back to the house. "So...haunted house huh?"

"I really don't wanna go in…" Colling groaned.

"Relax, I'll go in first. If you see somebody come out while wearing my skin, at least you'll know how low their standards are," I smirked at the blonde's giggles. I looked over to Viggo and motioned for him to follow. "Alright bud, let's go in."

"Ri!" Viggo shook his head stubbornly while shying away from the spooky house.

"V, it's just a house, it can't hurt you," I grabbed the fighting-type by the arm and pulled him along. "Viggo, you're not getting outta this! Come on!"

When we finally got into the spooky house, the first thing I saw was a reception counter, decorated with a few victorian era curiosities much like the rest of the room. I tilted my head at the little bell on the counter before shrugging and walking over. The moment I hit the bell, there was a loud commotion out back, followed by a shrill cry.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" a melodious voice called out anxiously as it grew closer. "I was busy dealing with some paperwork, I should have remembered."

Instead of a creepy old guy who looked like he wanted to wear my skin, I was treated to a picture of beauty. She looked to be in her mid 20s, had long and silky dark-brown hair and baby blue eyes. The best part, she was dressed in a maid outfit, one which accentuated her...assets.

"_Hello? Earth to dumbass! Think with the head on your shoulders,"_ Viggo groaned telepathically.

"Heh...Sorry! I'm Jareth, and I was hoping to stay the night," I said quickly. "You wouldn't happen to have any rooms open, would you?"

She flashed me a kind smile that made me melt inside. "I'm Lucia, it's a pleasure to meet you young man. As for rooms, we do have a few open for the night."

"Really? Gee, thanks," I said shyly, rubbing the back of my head. "Do you take cash or credit? Cause I don't have hard cash on me at the moment…"

"Ah, don't worry!" Lucia waved her hand dismissively. "I have a card swipe thing around here...I'm not very good with technology, just let me see where I can find it," the woman darted to the back room nervously, and soon enough I heard her loud rummaging.

"Wow...what a dream," I said absently.

"_Didn't you get a word I just said?"_ Viggo grumbled. "_No, of course not, you're busy letting your hormones control your brain."_

"I'm 13 V, the hell do you think is controlling my brain?" I whisper/yelled to the fighting-type. "There isn't a reasonable thought running through my grey matter...although that's probably because I'm me…" I flinched as the door opened, revealing the two blonde boys from before, both now with terrified looks.

Collin spotted me and ran up to me in desperation. "J-Jareth? Did the ghost get you? Are you possessed?! Don't worry, we'll get you to...a hospital...medium, we'll get a medium."

"You're so brave to have just charged in here like that," Ian cried out, anime tears dripping from his eyes. "To have put other's safety above yours, you're a real swell guy-Huh?!" the chubby blonde looked around in awe. "What do ya know...it's actually pretty nice in here."

"Oh, it's definitely nice here...if you catch my drift," I let a perverted grin spread across my face. Both the blondes gaped in confusion, while Viggo simply facepalmed at my expression.

"What are you talking about?" Collin gritted his teeth. "Come on man, you need to snap out of it! The ghosts are filling your head with-"

"I'm back!" Lucia called out happily, carrying a small credit terminal for portable usage. "Now then, for a full nights stay it'll be…" the gorgeous brunette tilted her head in confusion at the two new faces, both of whom seemingly broke at the sight of her angelic visage. "Oh! Who might the two of you be?"

"Oh, this is Collin and his brother, Ian," I slapped a hand gently on each of the respective brother's backs, shocking them out of their stupor. "They showed up just a few minutes after I found this place, and they were scared to come in because they thought this place was haunted," I gave the woman a cheerful smile. "Can you believe that?"

The woman's face fell slightly at this. "Yes...it does sound quite far fetched, I suppose," Lucia fumbled with the mini-terminal nervously. "Alright, so for you it's one room-Oops, no that was the wrong input, hang on a second," the brunette let out a squeak as a sharp and alarming beep sounded out from the mechanical box. "Oh goodness, I think I may have broke it. Just let me-Ah, there we go!" the woman rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Ehehe! Like I said, I'm not very good with technology. Just swipe your card on the thing, and you should be good."

I flashed Lucia a bright smile as I swiped my card through the machine. "Alright, so do I just wait out here for a bit till you finish up? Considering you seem to have a busier night than usual," I motioned to the two blondes.

The brunette giggled at the brothers absent looks. "Don't worry, you can wait in the commons room with the rest of tonight's guests for the time being, I'll come and show you to your room after I finish getting these two sorted out," the woman motioned to the doorway to her left.

I left just as the blondes fumbled over their words towards the cute brunette, walking into the commons room with Viggo at my side. Inside the big, fancy living room with similar decorations to the reception room, as well as plenty of fancy sofas and armchairs. There were several other guests aside from myself, but the two that stood out to me were the twin mini nurse Joy playing with their happiny. I would have walked over to start a conversation with them, were it not for my starter holding a paw in front of my legs to stop me.

"_Nuh uh, I ain't letting you flirt with them, even if they are your age,"_ the fighting-type snorted at my incredulous look. "_The Joy in viridian was really nice, I'm not gonna let you corrupt them."_

"Flirting with a cute girl won't corrupt them," I hissed lowly. "Also...I was just gonna ask them if they reproduce through mitosis."

"_...Wat?"_

"It's a valid question, V!" I grumbled. "You'll understand when we go through the whole region, now lets-" I was cut off when a figured bumped into me from my left, nearly causing both of us to fall.

Said figure was an older gentleman in a business suit, his dirty-blonde hair slicked back and shimmering with recently applied hair gel. The man sent me a flat glare as I held my hands up defensively.

"Ah! I'm really sorry about that sir, I didn't see you walking towards-"

"Damn right you're sorry," the man sent me a smug sneer. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

I stared at the well-dressed man for several seconds. "You're the guy who holds the record for using the most hair gel in one go, right?"

"Hmph, typical peon," the man huffed. "I am a respectable member of the board of directors for the Silph Company. If it weren't for someone like myself, a trainer like you wouldn't even have the right equipment for your little glorified camping trip," the businessman snorted at my blank look. "You should consider yourself lucky to even be speaking to me, all things considered. The only reason I'm staying in this rundown shack is because I'm waiting for a friend to pick me up and bring me to goldenrod for a very important meeting."

"...Huh, you didn't even try to pretend you enjoyed the "rustic charm" of the place," I mused. "Points for honesty at least, that takes a lotta updogg."

The businessman stared at me blankly. "Updog? What is updog?"

...No fucking way.

"Hey, listen to your betters when they ask you a question, boy!" the man hissed. "What is updog?!"

I bit my lip hard as I tried to stifle my laughter. "Pfft...sorry, I couldn't catch that, could you maybe repeat-"

"Don't play games with me peasant!" the businessman growled. "What, is, UPDOG?!"

"Not much, what's up with you?!" I responded happily, just as the dam finally burst. "HAHAHAHAHA! Oh man, I can't believe you fell for that! That was great!" I nearly choked on my own breath as I wiped a tear from my eye.

The man glared at me coldly as I laughed. After a few moments, he let out an angry grunt before walking off, muttering about 'lowborn peasants' and the like. It took Viggo nudging me with his elbow to bring me back to my senses, at which point I was finally able to catch my breath.

"_Yeah, that was real hilarious boss,"_ the fighting-type grumbled when I finally got out the last of my giggles. "_You're a real comedian."_

"I know, I could have even used my henway bit," I sniggered.

"_...What's a henway?" _

"About two and a half pounds, usually," I snorted at Viggo's incredulous look.

"_Alright, I walked right into that one." _

"You sure did...now then," I turned back to the young Joys and smiled as I walked over. "Hey girls, how's it going?"

"Oh, not too bad," one of the Joys snickered.

I immediately caught on. "Lemme guess, you saw that little incident?" I motioned over to the businessman sitting at the far end of the room.

"Yes, it was certainly a show," one of the pinkettes said happily. "Nice to know there wasn't any Snoo in the aftermath."

I blinked at the girl in confusion. "Wait, what's Snoo?"

"Oh, not much actually, what's new with you?" the leftmost Joy broke into a fit of sniggers at her joke.

"_Ha!" _out of the corner of my eye, I saw Viggo slapping his knee and doubling over in a fit of laughter. "_Oh helix, that was great!"_

"Alright, you got me with that one," I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "I'm Jareth, by the way, and this little guy," I gently patted the fighting-type on the head. "This is my starter, Viggo."

"It's nice to meet the both of you," the Joy on the left said kindly. "I'm Mary, and this is my sister," Mary motioned to her duplicate.

"My name is Marie, it's a pleasure to meet you," Marie let out a small laugh as I blinked in confusion. "We get that a lot, our names sound the same, but the letters are a bit different."

"At least I won't get confused with the names…" I said nervously.

"Say, what made you choose to stay at the Blacktree inn?" Mary asked, shrinking back slightly when I turned my gaze back to her. "Sorry if I'm prying into it, it just took a lot of willpower to even put one foot in here."

"Oh, well the thing is...I haven't been training Viggo a lot," I shrugged sheepishly. "And I was worried that I'd get a challenge from another trainer if we went to one of the public campsites nearby."

"Well that doesn't sound like a very good reason," Marie chided. "You would have been fine. Trainers can't force other Trainers into battles they don't want to fight in."

I stood there, staring at the pinkette owlishly and wondering whether I should call her out on her bullshit, when I remembered something Mary had said. "Wait, what did you say about taking a lot of willpower to come here?" I squinted my eyes as the leftmost Joy shrunk in her seat. "What's so bad about this place? It seems pretty nice."

"Ah, well, I thought it would be obvious," Mary motioned to the table of people nearby with a lot of cameras and electrical equipment. "Considering who they are, I don't think it'd be too hard to make the connection."

"...Who are those guys?" I whispered, holding my hand to my mouth to block my voice from reaching their way. When Mary and Marie looked at me in shock, I continued. "No, really, who are they, and what's with the futuristic gizmos and whatnot?"

The joys gaped at me in shock. Mary opened her mouth to tell me, only to be cut off by a familiar voice from behind me.

"No way! It's the Ghost Hunters!" I turned to see Ian and Collin entering the common room, the chubbier blonde nudging his brother's arm with his elbow. "Collin, you see them too right?

"Yeah bro, I see them," Collin adjusted his glasses with a sigh. "I get it bro, you're a big fan of reality TV and you've watched every episode, but they're right over there minding their business. Don't go and bother them for an autograph or something stupid."

"Ahem!" I smirked as the two blondes looked to me. "Boy, you guys sure have a lot of upwitchyu to have taken so long. What, did she help you pick out piecosts?"

"Very funny, I know the "upwitchyu" joke," Collin tilted his head in confusion. "Wait, what's a piecost?"

"About six bucks I think," I sniggered at the blonde's deadpan look. "Oh, right! Mary, Marie, this is Collin and his brother Ian. I met them outside, they thought this house was haunted or something. Can you believe that?"

Mary's face fell. "I think we could actually…"

"Wait, both of you are named 'Mary'?" Collin asked, growing more confused at the pinkettes nodding. "How does that work?"

"Same name, different spelling," Marie said nonchalantly.

"So what's with this talk about reality TV?" I asked the other two boys. "No really, Mary and Marie started on them, and now you're saying something about reality TV and Ghosts? What's up?"

From the corner of my eye, I noticed one of the people from that table looking over at us before standing up and heading over. The man that came up to us was a handsome brunette dressed in a black t-shirt and khakis, his green eyes gleaming with cheerfulness.

"Excuse me, I was just sitting over there with my team, when I heard you guys mention us," the brown-haired man flashed us a charming grin. "I'm always happy to talk to fans, even if I am on the job."

"No way, you're actually Jackson Hawke?!" Ian shivered as the man sent him a bright smile. "This is so cool! I'm just sorry I don't have anything to sign."

"So, you lead the...what, Ghostbusters?" I asked dumbly.

"Ghost Hunters," the now named Jackson said with a small chuckle. "There's a big difference. The Ghostbusters go to places inhabited or infested by ghost-type Pokémon, and capture or remove them while educating the audience about ghost-types."

"What do you do with ghost-types then?" I asked skeptically.

"Eh, they can be helpful from time to time, but they can confuse the instruments most of the time," Jackson shrugged before looking back to his group. "What we do, on paper at least, is go to purportedly haunted venues and try to prove whether they have ghosts or not."

I tilted my head at the man. "I'm sorry, could you run that by me again? Cause it sounded like you said the word "ghost" without adding "-type" to it."

"Well duh, we go after real ghosts after all!" Jackson said happily.

...Oh shit!

"We've even had guest investigators, like celebrities and whatnot," the brunette rubbed the back of his head. "Seeing Lance of all people screaming like a little girl didn't feel that good, considering how cool he was...Professor Oak wasn't too bad though, he was actually pretty interested in the equipment."

"Wait a second," Collin interjected. "You guys are here on a job? Like, right now?" the blonde grimaced when the man nodded. "Oh no...I knew I should have trusted my gut."

"Well, good thing I brought my ghost survival kit," I said happily. "Got me all the necessities, salt, goofer dust, some pure iron chains, all the good shit."

"Goofer dust? Iron chains?" Jackson gaped at me in confusion. "You're actually going on about Voodoo? That's hilarious kid."

"Don't knock it till you tried it," I said flatly.

"Alright, I've got the keys!" Lucia called out as she entered the common room. The woman looked around owlishly at our congregation. "Oh goodness, I see the three of you are already mingling with the other guest-"

"Did you know this place was haunted?" I asked suddenly, causing her face to fall. "Yeah, you knew huh…"

"There's a disclaimer taped right next to the door...oh no!" Lucia shrunk nervously. "Ah, it probably faded a bit, I knew I should have put a tarp over it or something," the woman turned to me and the two blondes nervously, puppy-dog eyes shimmering brightly. "I'm really sorry, if you don't want to stay the night then I understand perfectly."

Dammit, she's purposefully doing that to tug at my emotions, this isn't fair. "No, I don't mind the whole "haunting" stuff, so it's cool," Lucia's face lit up happily at my reassurance. I could see Ian and Collin shrinking back as their resistance also faltered.

"Thank you so much! I promise you there's nothing to worry about," the pretty brunette flinched suddenly and began to dig around her purse. "Ah, right, I forgot about these," the woman pulled out two keys, then turned back to me and the two blondes. "Now then, how about I show you to your rooms…"

* * *

"_I don't get why you're acting so wiggy,"_ Viggo grumbled from his bed. "_You dumped a bunch of weird dirt at the door and you're keeping these stupid chains near your bed,"_ the fighting-type jumped off his little Pokébed and rattled the chains around to illustrate. "_You're being too paranoid boss, ghosts aren't even real."_

"Mempher taaht gosh rago?" I asked, to which the Viggo tilted his head in confusion.

"_Maybe don't say stuff while you have a toothbrush in your mouth?" _

I spit into the sink and did a last onceover on my teeth before turning back to him. "Right, sorry...so, like I said, remember that ghost-dragon?" I internally grimaced as the fighting-type flinched. "Yeah, if spooky monsters that are probably from another universe exist, then what's so weird about ghosts existing?"

"_So you're saying you think ghosts exist?"_

"No, I don't think ghosts exist," I smirked at my starter's confused look. "I know that ghosts exist. I know perfectly well that there's "life" after death, so to speak."

"_How would you know that, dumbass?"_

_ReroReroReroReroReroReroReroReroReroReroReroReroReroReroRero-_

"I've had one or two near-death experiences," I said quickly. "Remember the last one?"

"_Oh yeah...ok, I'll buy that I guess,"_ the fighting-type grumbled as he went back to his padded bed. "_So what, we're probably not even in the room where the ghost...uh...wait, what happened in this place?"_

"Tragic backstory I'm guessing, either from a woman who's unrequited love won't let her die, or a family who were done in by some random whacko or a group of people looking for stuff to steal," I looked over to see Viggo's terrified look. "I'm probably just snowballing there though, I've seen way too many horror movies about this sort of thing."

"_No, no, I'm fine,"_ the fighting-type said shakily.

"Uh, V, I didn't ask if you were-"

"_I, I am in a calm place,"_ Viggo placed himself into a meditative pose on his bed. "_I am tranquil, like a babbling brook. Nothing can bother me, there are no ghosts trying to haunt me to death, I am perfectly fine, I'm practically floating on a cloud."_

"Oof… I forgot you did this when you get freaked out," I mused, remembering how he had gone through the same schtick a while after seeing Giratina. "Eh, I'll just leave you to it. Imma see if I can't check the dex to see the prospective dragons we're not far from," I popped open the red machine and flinched when I saw its current state.

The screen was nothing but static, with flashes of what looked like an image appearing now and then. There was a lot of mechanical whirring, loud beeping, and static, with what seemed like words being stuttered out here and there. The last time this had happened, the master of Gravity had slithered out of the distortion world, so I was immediately on edge.

"Oi, Pokédex! Tell me about all the nearby dragons!"

"_Error, data not found! Error, data not found! Error, Error, Error! DatanotfoundDatanotfound, *ZZZZZTTT* ErrorErrorErrorError!_"

"Ok, that's unnerving…" I said, tapping the side of the device lightly.

"_*ZZZZZTTT* Your thirty day trial has expired...would you like to purchase...Win...Rar…*ZZTT*_"

"And that's...kinda funny I guess…" I trailed off, still cringing at the malfunctioning Dex.

"_*ZZZTTT* Error, there is no data for "come play with me, won't you?", please input a proper Pokémon name *ZZZTTT*_"

"...Wat?!" I croaked out. "Hehe, ok very funny Pokédex. Now show me some dragons asap and we'll just forget about this."

"_ZZZTTT* _**HEHEHEHEHEHEHE** _*ZZZTTT*_"

"...Hmm, nope," I gently threw the Pokédex back onto my bed, to which the machine promptly shut off. When I picked it up again, I blinked in shock once I noticed that the damn thing had been off the entire time it was possessed. "Huh, well shit."

* * *

"Can you believe it? The Ghost Hunters, here!" Ian shivered in excitement. "Eh, do you think we'll be allowed to see their investigation?"

"As long as we don't interrupt or mess with it, we'll probably be allowed to watch," Collin groaned from his bed. "I hope they don't check in our room…"

"Just keep your activities in the bathroom, you should be good."

"Hilarious," the wiry blonde grunted. "Ghosts, can you believe that? I heard that up until 5 years ago, this place was owned by a rich couple with their kid. It couldn't have gone that south, right?"

"Who knows, sometimes tragedies just end up happening," the chubbier blonde dug through his backpack and pulled out a plastic container. "Hey, I'm gonna brush my teeth first, that okay?"

"Yeah, go ahead bro," Collin said blithely, pulling out his smartphone. "We can play angry birds or something before we get dinner."

Collin clicked at his screen several times, throwing as many flying-type Pokémon as he could at the veritable army made up of members of the Tepig, and Spoink evolution lines, with members of the Swinub line thrown in randomly or as a boss. Unbeknownst to the blondes, the closet just a few feet away from their two beds began to slowly and silently open.

After several minutes of playing, Collin noticed the opened door and huffed at the sight. The blonde stared forward and gritted his teeth at what he saw.

"Oh, very funny bro!" Collin growled. "Opening the closet and rearranging old clothes to look like a ghost. You really got me there Ian."

"What are you talking about?" the chubby blonde said as he exited their temporary washroom. "I didn't even know this room had a closet in the first place."

The boys blinked at each other for several seconds, before turning sheet-white while turning to stare at the now open closet. From within, a pair of blood-red eyes gleamed maliciously, and a bright smile filled with fanged teeth shone from the darkness.

"**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"**

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

"So far, nothing yet…" one of the cameramen grumbled to the rest of the group. "I don't get what the point of going through the hallway is anyway."

"I always figured it helps us get a good feel of the place," Jackson said happily. "I mean, it's nice to scope out the location and figure out what makes it tick," the man looked through the hallway, noting that just like the others it was adorned with old paintings and fancy decorations that seemed to be from all over the globe. "If there is a spirit here, there would be a lot of reasons for its energy to stay connected to this place."

"I'm getting some weird readings over here!" one of the investigators called out.

Jackson looked over and frowned at what he saw. "D, you're kneeling down right next to a table with a lamp on it."

The investigator blinked at his leader for a few seconds before staring at the lamp. "Oh...whoops."

"Yeah, that's kinda the first thing you do D," the man ran a hand through his wavy brown hair. "Rule out the obvious, if you can't explain it then start digging."

"Maybe we should ask miss Lucia which room seems the most haunted," one of the female investigators said nonchalantly. "Might be a good place to check for EMFs or EVPs, maybe set up temp cameras."

Jackson rubbed his chin in thought. "It might be a good idea, we could do it after our initial run through the halls, then we can-" the brunette was cut off by the sound of loud screaming coming from around the nearby corner.

The lead investigator of Ghost Hunters flinched when he saw the two fans from earlier barreling towards them through the hallway. Jackson blinked when they crashed into him, both bouncing off his frame and falling backwards onto the floor. The wiry blonde shook his head in confusion and looked up, his expression morphing into one of relief when he spotted the Ghost Hunter.

"Ghost! Hunt it!" the boy pointed behind himself.

Jackson gaped at the boy owlishly. "I'm sorry, you'll need to go ahead and run that by me again, I seem to be hard of hearing at the moment."

"We saw a ghost!" the chubby blonde cried out. "It lunged at us and tried to attack us! We even have a bunch of scratches from it! You're the Ghost Hunters, go hunt the ghost!"

The Ghost Hunter looked the two over, flinching when he noticed that yes, they did in fact have wicked marks on them that could have only come from claws of some sort. Despite this, the man wasn't quite ready to leave the realm of skepticism.

"What did this ghost look like?" he asked slowly.

"It was sort of personish," the wiry blonde said nervously. "Nothing I could see of a face, aside from these creepy red eyes and a bunch of sharp teeth. Everything else was a shadow."

"A shadow, huh?" the brunette cupped his hand to his chin. "Alright, calm down, both of you. There's probably a perfectly logical explanation for what's going on."

"Uh, Jackson," one of the other investigators called out nervously. "They're covered in claw marks! What's your explanation for that?!"

"Something that is perfectly logical and doesn't involve ghosts," the man said triumphantly. "They were probably running for a few minutes, they could have easily gotten scuffed up."

***CRASH***

The group looked over to a nearby table that had fallen to the ground, along with the lamp that had slid off and shattered. Jackson huffed in exasperation at this and threw his hands into the air.

"There's a logical explanation for that too," the man said sternly. "Lucia told us earlier that some of the furniture was worn, and she hadn't gotten any of it fixed or replaced. That table falling was a perfectly normal thing-"

***FWOOOOOOSH***

***CRASH***

***CRASH**CRASH**CRASH**CRASH**CRASH***

***THUMP**THUMP**THUMP***

***OMINOUS NOISES***

Jackson gaped as the formerly fallen table, along with several other pieces of furniture in the hallway, began floating and swirling around in a circle seemingly of their own accord, and the lights exploded, leaving the hallway dark as night. Accompanying this was a cyclone of purple wind blowing throughout the corridor, and an oppressive feeling that forced its way through every individual in the hall.

"**HEHEHEHE…"**

"...So, what's the logical explanation for this one, Jack?"

The leader of the Ghost Hunters would have given his fellow investigator a piece of his mind, had he not froze in terror at what he saw next. Within the circle of flying furniture, a pair of glowing blood-red eyes peered down at them, followed by the gleam of a malicious and toothy smile filled with Sharpedo-like fangs. The floating objects suddenly froze in midair, before falling to the ground with multiple loud crashes, leaving the shadowy figure floating in the air as it continued to smile cruelly.

"**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"**

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

I looked around the large dining room blanky, still in awe at the size of the chamber. The room was decorated with a few old curiosities, replicas of strange artifacts, and old painting. At the back was a large fireplace, with what I thought might be a painting hanging over it. The atmosphere was almost calming, to a degree.

I finally turned back to Lucia with a questioning look. "So, what is for dinner anyway?"

The woman gave me a kind smile. "I took the liberty of making a Tauros roast for dinner, enough for everybody to have a few helpings."

Viggo immediately perked up at this. "_She just said Tauros roast, right? Cause I love me some roasted Tauros."_

Lucia noticed the fighting-type's expression and chuckled. "Don't worry, there'll be plenty for you little guy."

"Ri!" the jackal-like Pokémon jumped up happily at this.

The gorgeous brunette sent us all another kind smile before heading back into the kitchen. The two Joys sitting across from me watched my fighting-type's happy demeanor and chuckled.

"You know, I have to wonder what your training methods are going to look like," Marie said thoughtfully. "You said you were originally planning to become a dragon-type specialist, right? What about now?"

"I'm still gonna grab me a bunch of dragons, but I have a plan for V here," I gave the fighting-type a small smirk. "I think I could start off by getting him an eviolite, a stone that increases the defensive of a Pokémon if it still has the ability to evolve. Then I'll see if I can help him learn Agility and Swords Dance, with a steel type move or two for coverage."

"You sure you don't want him to evolve into a Lucario?" Mary asked, narrowing her eyes at me skeptically. "I mean, some people wouldn't mind having a powerhouse like that on their team."

I blinked at them for a few seconds before turning to look at my starter. Viggo stared at me with a curious glance, clearly awaiting my answer. I turned back to the pinkette and shrugged blithely.

"If he wants to evolve, then he'll let me know," I said. "Yeah, he'd be pretty strong as a Lucario, but he's only a few years old, and I haven't even really started training him. I doubt he'll be ready in the near future."

Mary's skeptical look morphed into a satisfied smile. "That's good to hear actually, I've always been told by our aunts and cousins how some trainers are always coaxing their Pokémon to evolve early," the girl sighed and shook her head. "I've seen a few cases where that was actually a bad thing."

"...Were they Gyarados?"

"Yeah, they were Gyarados…" the pinkette looked to the side nervously. "When an older Magikarp evolves, it'll have better control over it's emotions as a Gyarados, which isn't much, but it won't go on a month long rampage at least. Younger Magikarp on the other hand...well, you'll hear about what happens when they evolve too early."

"_Pfft!"_ Viggo sniggered to me mentally. "_And you want one of those things? I'm questioning your choice in type specialty."_

"Probably a good idea for me to catch a Magikarp first then," I said, resting my chin on my hand in thought. "As much as people can think they're weak, I can try and teach one bounce. It'll be a nice surprise when people underestimate it."

"You can teach Magikarp bounce?!" Marie gaped in shock.

"Yeah, the Gyarados line is pretty funky. The best moves they naturally learn are Tackle and Flail, but bounce is a neat move if you help them get it down. But Gyarados are pretty nuts with what they can do, hell you can teach Gyarados Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Dark Pulse, Stone Edge, Earthquake, a lot of other cool stuff," I blinked when I noticed the Joys giving me incredulous looks. "You're looking at me like I'm crazy, what's the deal?"

"You sound crazy," Mary said nervously. "I mean...Flamethrower?! Gyarados is a water-type, water-types shouldn't learn Flamethrower."

"Yeah, but Gyarados can learn Flamethrower," I said flatly. "So can a few other water-types. The entire Slowpoke line, on both sides, and the Remoraid line can all learn it."

"I don't even-How could you have figured that out?" Marie griped.

"Research," I said matter of factly. "I want to be a good dragon-type trainer, so a while ago I did my research on the Gyarados line and its movepool...then I got really sidetracked and found out that at least 80-90% of the world's known Pokémon can learn just Flamethrower alone. It was like I was spending time on TV Tropes or something."

"Ah yes, that site…" Mary deadpanned. "I think I get what happened to you there."

"Alright, it's finished!" Lucia called out, carrying a large plate capped by a dome cover. The woman grimaced as she struggled to hold it right while walking it to the dining table. "Oh goodness, so heavy, maybe I shouldn't have gotten one so big..."

"You want any help?" I asked.

"No, no! I'm fine, I have it under perfect control," the brunette wobbled towards the table before setting the plate at the center as gently as she could. "Ah...there we go, guess I should get to serving then," Lucia lifted the cover to reveal a monstrous piece of meat accompanied by an irresistible aroma.

Viggo fell into a lull at the scent of the roast, only to fall out of it when the woman brought out a massive knife. The blade glinted with light and moved through the air with audible sharpness, shearing off sizable slices of beef. Soon enough, a plate was laid out for every individual at the table, human or otherwise.

I noticed the douchey businessman from before was sitting at the far end of the table, keeping as much distance from us as possible. Every now and then I spotted him glaring at Viggo and the two happiny with Mary and Marie. Any thoughts on that were interrupted when Lucia finished serving all of us, before slapping a hand to her face.

"Oh no! I forgot about the others!"

"I'm sure Collin and Ian aren't gonna be mad," I said with a shrug. "Plus, those GhostSniffer dudes will probably be hungry after investigating."

"They actually asked to not be disturbed during their investigation," the woman grew a comically fierce look. "Still, I'm certain Mister Hawke wouldn't mind some food, nor the desert I prepared. I have it on good authority that my chocolate chip cookie tarts are to die for."

"Chocolate?" Marie asked wistfully.

"Chip cookie?" Mary continued, leaning towards the woman in her seat.

"Tart?" I gaped as the brunette flashed us a cocky grin. "You mean pie, right? You made cookie pie?"

"Yes I did. Unfortunately, as a matter of principle I can't serve pie until everybody has had dinner," Lucia said, sighing lowly when she noticed our crestfallen expressions. "You can all relax, I'm sure the Ghost Hunters are finished with the first part of their investigation. I'll go and collect them and those other young men, and then we can have pie after everybody has had dinner," the brunette turned to leave, giving us a kind smile over her shoulder. "Feel free to dig in though, there's enough that everybody should have third helpings by the end of the night."

Viggo didn't even wait for the woman to leave, his brain processing her words as an immediate cue to wolf down his meal. The Happiny across from us weren't interested in taking their sweet time to savour the meat either, their mouths widening absurdly to swallow whole pieces instead of moving for their silverware. While the Joys grew exasperated at their partners eating habits, I could spy the businessman glaring at us coldly from his spot at the end of the table.

"Is there a problem, sir?"

"I just don't understand how Lucia could allow them to eat at the table," the man sneered at the Pokémon as they ate.

"Ok, I can understand you'd be a bit mad about the Happiny," I narrowed my eyes to silence him before he could interrupt. "But they are literally babies, getting on their cases about their eating habits is a bit much."

"What of yours?"

"He's at least using a knife and fork," I motioned to the utensils in Viggo's paws. The jackal-like Pokémon, for the most part, was more focused on scarfing down his meal. "He's also a fighting-type, they usually eat a lot to get more energy...you know what, I never actually learned your name."

The man scoffed angrily. "You must be joking? Even peasants like you would know who I am, my name is-"

"Wait, hold on for a sec!" I said loudly, giving the man a terrified look before settling it back to my flat glare. "I just realized, I actually don't care who you are."

"Why you-"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"EEEEP!"

"Hmm?!" I looked back to the entrance to the dining room to see Collin, his brother, and the entire GhostLookers team charging through, all visibly terrified. "Woah, where's the fire?"

"GHOST!" Collin cried out.

I stared at the bespectacled blonde for several seconds before grabbing a butter knife and a piece of cooked bread. "Toast?!"

"NO, GHOST!" the blonde cried out, accompanied by the affirmative gibberish from his brother. "There's a ghost! It's a spooky shadow monster with sharp teeth!"

"Please, just calm down!" Lucia called out, finally catching up with the group of frightened people. "I'm so sorry, it hasn't been this bad, but I'm sure as long as we don't disturb it we should be fine."

"Ok Lucia, I'll bite," I stood from my chair and walked towards the woman. "What's with this ghost business, and how did the inn become haunted?"

The brunette furrowed her brows and brought her hands up to her temples. "It shouldn't even be haunted, it hasn't even been a decade…"

"A decade?"

"Just leave it be kid, it's pretty personal," Jackson said softly. "She told us the story before we started the investigation, and even then getting it out of her was a bit of a chore."

"No, no, it's fine Mister Hawke," the woman dismissed weakly, taking a seat nearby. "Goodness, I don't even know where to start."

...pleasedontbeatragicbackstorypleasedontbeatragicbackstory-

"I guess it goes back to what started it all, the incident from five years ago."

Dammit!

"I don't suppose any of you know about the Blackthorn Clan, do you?" the brunette asked weakly.

While most everybody else furrowed their brows in thought, Viggo froze and stared at me in desperation. "_Please no…"_

"Ohohoho, do I know about the Blackthorn Clan!" I said happily. "Wait, what do they have to do with this?"

"Nothing negative, I assure you," Lucia said quickly. "It actually has more to do with their enemies...a clan of fairy-type users from Hoenn and Kalos."

Ok but why though?!

"While there hasn't been an official war between the two for a few centuries, that doesn't mean the fairy clan remains quiet...they're quite content with targeting the Blackthorn Clan's friends and allies," the woman said sadly. "That was the case with the family that lived in this home. Blacktree Manor has been passed down to a certain family of rich socialites for generations, a family that has had close ties to the Blackthorn Clan for hundreds of years. The then current generation was a young couple and their daughter."

"You seem to be quite knowledgeable about it," Mary said nervously as she leaned forward in her seat. "Were you connected to the family in any way?"

Lucia rubbed the back of her head. "Believe it or not, I was actually the governess of the family's young daughter."

...Oh no.

"That leads me to what I consider my greatest regret," the woman said sadly, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Young Valerie...I wasn't able to get to her that night when the fairy clan…what happened practically wiped the family out."

Aww...shit…

Marie looked at the woman solemnly. "That painting over the fireplace at the back of the room, is that them?"

"Yes, they had photos but the couple wanted a painting," the sobbing brunette croaked out. "I remember Master Lawrence, he was Valerie's father, he talked about how those paintings were a time honored tradition and such. The young mistress, she didn't like having to sit still for so long, but I saw how happy she was with the results and…"

I grimaced as the woman continued sobbing, turning my head to get a glance at the painting I had overlooked beforehand. There were three figures in the painting, all sitting on an extravagant sofa with a forest as the background. The most prominent figure, and the one easiest to see, was a large man in a fancy suit, with dark-purple hair and a thick moustache. Sitting next to him with her arm locked into his was a beautiful red-haired woman clad in an elegant dress. Her bright violet eyes practically glowed, even in painted form, and an angelic expression was spread across her face.

It was the child between them that really tugged at my heartstrings. A little girl that sat on her father's lap, was probably no older than six years old, and clad in a black dress. She seemed to be a perfect blend of her parent's features, possessing dark purple-hair brushed straight back, and violet eyes. Even through the painting, her nervous smile was clearly visible.

"Ah...damn, that is just so sad," I said weakly.

The businessman at the end of the table huffed and stood to face the de facto owner of the manor. "While I'm sure going down your precious memory lane was nice and all, I have a small complaint," the man growled, staring down the three Pokémon as they now slowly ate. "I can't stress this enough, those filthy beasts shouldn't even be at this table."

For real? No tact with this asshole, it's like he can't read the fucking room.

"_THE FUCK YOU SAY TO ME?!"_ Viggo growled telepathically, jumping onto the table and holding his paws up threateningly. "_YOU WANNA FUCKIN' GO? I KNOW FORCE PALM, I'LL KNOCK YOU OUT!"_

"...Shit!" I grumbled, watching as everybody stared at my starter.

"Did...did your Pokémon just talk?!" Collin asked absently.

"No, he spoke," I said flatly. "There's a big difference."

"What difference?!"

"Talking implies speaking through use of your mouth," I said, motioning to the angry fighting-type. "Viggo can't talk like a person, he speaks through telepathy instead."

"Oh my, you can communicate," the businessman said sarcastically. "You must think you're better than the others, right? To me, you're still a filthy beast."

"_I WILL CUT YOU!"_ the jackal-like Pokémon roared, the bony knobs on his arms turning black and forming into shadowy claws.

"You know shadow claw?!" I asked Viggo, who completely ignored my question.

"_Come on, let's fucking go! You and me, one on one! I will-"_ the fighting-type froze suddenly. "_Woah, the hell is that behind you?"_

"If you think that'll work on me, you really are a wild animal," the man said smugly. "That trick may work on lowly peons, but I'm far above it."

"**HEHEHE…" **

"Hmm?"

The businessman turned at the sound of the wicked laughter, soon finding himself face to face with a vaguely humanoid being of shadow, a pair of glowing blood-red eyes staring at him and a fanged mouth gleaming menacingly. The shadows around the being's head soon fell away to reveal a gaunt skull with cracks running throughout it, the features now more terrifying than before.

"W-Wha?!"

"**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

With that, the smug businessman was gone in the blink of an eye, the only sign of his exit being his frantic footsteps as he fled deeper into the haunted house. The ghostly being turned to the group and flashed them another monstrous smile. Then, the apparition's head began to rotate, slowly at first, but gradually speeding up. Soon, the creature's head had done over a dozen full 360 degree spins.

"EEEEP!" the Joys and their Happinys jumped from the table in terror, their meals long forgotten. "G-G-G-GHOOOSST!"

"Relax, that's just a focused, non-terminal repeating phantasm," I said nonchalantly as I continued my meal, Viggo having joined me soon after the smug instigator had left. I noticed the incredulous looks of the rest of the group and sighed. "Y'know...a Class 5 Full Roaming Vapor? Come on, that's basic ghost science."

"What is wrong with you?!" Jackson cried out. "Why are you acting so calm about the ghost?! Why does your Riolu talk?! Why are you still eating?! THIS IS SERIOUS DAMN IT!"

The ghost, for the most part, could care less about me and Viggo, instead opting to charge towards the group.

"**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"**

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

I shook my head as the apparition chased everyone sans Lucia off. "Kind of worried about why it's scaring people...I guess we'll deal with it later."

"_I'm kinda confused as to why we're not affected though."_

"Remember the ghost-dragon we saw?"

"_Oh right, guess we got conditioned to anything less terrifying than that,"_ the fighting-type said blithely. "_Are you sure we shouldn't help just yet?"_

"Don't you want to finish your roast beef?"

"_You got me there."_

* * *

"S-So, what is it you're going to use on the spirit again?" Lucia asked nervously as we walked through the hallway.

"Well, if you wanna actually deal with a spirit, you have to go old fashioned," I hoisted the wrought-iron chains over my shoulder and held the jar of GD under my free arm. "Ghosts can be repelled by salt, of all things, and of course Iron can be used to disperse or trap them if you use it right."

"Disperse?"

"Supposedly it turns them into smoke for a bit and confuses them," I said with a shrug. "Helps you come up with a better plan in the meantime. The chains can probably hold onto it, so I can take it on a walk like a growlithe or something."

"And this dirt is also special?"

"It's called Goofer Dust, it's actually a mix of stuff," I held the jar of GD up for her to look at. "The base ingredient is actually graveyard dirt, with shed Ekans or Arbok skin and some sulfur mixed in. I think the stuff I ordered also has old bug-type chitin, some different herbs and spices, and anvil dust."

"And what does the...Goofer Dust," the woman cringed at the words. "What does it do to ghosts?"

"It's a more reliable than salt is actually. Salt can be blown away if the ghost uses any of its spooky powers, but Goofer Dust actually blocks ghost abilities too."

"What do you plan to do to the ghost then?"

"Hopefully, grab it with the chains, pull it into a place where nobody will want to go, and trap it in a circle of Goofer Dust," I stared forward fiercely. "If you're still worried, you can call an exorcist. I'd already have done the work for them by then," I noticed the brunette twiddling her fingers. "Are you worried about something?"

"I...this isn't the first time I've seen it you know," the woman said solemnly. "I've caught a glimpse of it a few times, and once I was able to follow it," the brunette put a hand to her face and sniffled. "I tried calling out to it a few times...I think it's mistress Martha."

"...The woman in the painting?"

"Yes, I think she's stuck because…" Lucia let out a quiet sob before taking a deep breath. "She's probably blaming herself for what happened to Valerie, when it was really my fault-"

"_Ok, none of that!"_ Viggo growled, surprising the woman. "_You said the house was attacked by crazies who had a bunch of fairy-types, right? Then it's nobody's fault but theirs, they were the ones who attacked a perfectly happy and innocent family living in the woods,"_ the fighting-type grumbled. "_What was the attack really for anyway? Just because they don't like a specific Pokémon type?"_

"I think that's a very small part of why the clans were at war," I interjected, before giving the woman a sympathetic look. "Listen, I'm definitely not an expert on proxy wars and murder conspiracies, but Viggo is right. You and the family, you couldn't have predicted that a bunch of psychos would come out of nowhere and attack you. Hindsight is 20/20, you can't blame yourself for something that was completely out of your control."

Lucia blinked at me for several seconds, before giving me a tearful smile. "I suppose you're right, it's just...after everything happened, I felt like I had failed," the woman wiped the moisture from her eyes. "If it really is her, do you think there's a chance we could help her pass on?"

"I'm just a guy with magic dirt and chains," I said blankly. "I can't help anybody with the whole 'passing on' business, just keep them from hurting others."

"_I think finding the ghost first would be a good idea,"_ Viggo chimed in. "_How do we know it hasn't floated somewhere where we can't find it?"_

"I was just gonna follow the screams," I said blithely. "Seriously, you'd think Jackson and the rest of GhostFacers would have seen a class 5 full roaming vapor. What kind of ghosts do they deal with anyway?"

"_Probably the kind that doesn't normally fly around spooping people,"_ the fighting-type deadpanned, before jolting forward and staring in shock. "_Hey, it's the Joys!"_

I followed Viggo's gaze to see both Mary and Marie sitting against a nearby wall, both visibly out of breath. The two Happiny accompanying them sat in their laps, shivering and jumping at the smallest of sounds. As we got closer, Marie spotted us and tried to speak, but no words came from her moving mouth.

"Uh, Marie, you do realize you're not talking, right?" I flinched back when the girl shook violently and clutched her hands to her face. "Alright then...Mary, are you alright?" I grimaced when the second pinkette looked up at me mutely.

"Ghoooossse."

"Yes, there is a ghost," I said to the poor girl. "Mind telling me where it is now?"

"Ghoose, ghust ghoo ghigggioooo," Mary made several wild hand gestures. "Ghooo, ceeillllll, ghoos gho waaaal, gho flo, spok."

I stared at the two miniature Joys blankly before turning back to Viggo. "Alright, they're not gonna be any help, try their Happiny."

"_Why do I have to do it?!"_

"Because I don't understand Pokémon speak, that's your field of expertise."

"_We don't all have a universal language you know, some species have their own languages and dialects,"_ the fighting-type grumbled at my raised brow. "_You're lucky the Chansey line doesn't have either of those…"_ the jackal-like Pokémon walked over to the two girls and grabbed the attention of the two baby Pokémon in their laps. "_Hey, you two alright?"_

"Ha, Ha, Ha," one of the Happiny responded in a monotone voice.

"_Ah...boss, I don't think they'll be much better than the Joys. Maybe we should-"_

"P-Piny…" the second egg-shaped Pokémon called out shakily. "H-Ha...H-Happi, Happiny."

"_Oh...wow, that must have been horrible."_

"Wait, what'd she say?"

"_Hold on, I'm working here," _Viggo growled over his shoulder before turning back to the baby Pokémon. "_Ok, what happened after that?"_

"H-Happi, Happiny," the egg-shaped Pokémon gestured weakly. "H-Happiny, happi, Happiny."

"_Oooh, that sounds bad…"_ the fighting-type cringed at the baby Pokémon's sad nod. "_So, where is it now?"_

Happiny put a hand to it's chin in thought before pointing down the hallway. "H-Happiny."

"_Thanks, I'll make sure to tell them,"_ Viggo stood up and walked back towards us.

"Ok, so what happened?"

"_Well, the ghost chased them around up here for a bit, it went after that dick with the hair gel the most for a bit before teaching Collin and his brother how to fly,"_ the fighting-type rubbed the back of his head. "_Apparently that lead Ghost Hunter, Jackson, grabbed salt from somewhere because he was sick of being scared. When he threw it at the ghost's face, the thing just spat it up."_

I blinked at that for a few seconds before furrowing my brows skeptically. "The ghost spat up salt?"

"_Yeah, I'm guessing that you were wrong about the salt thing then,"_ the fighting-type grimaced. "_What does that tell us about the chains and glorified graveyard dirt?"_

"Tells me quite a bit actually," I pulled out the Pokédex and opened the device. "Hey, tell me all the data collected within the past day."

"_Happiny, the Playhouse Pokémon. When it sees something round and white, Happiny puts it into the pouch on its stomach. It sometimes becomes overloaded and can't move._"

"I know about Happiny, anything else?"

The dex let out a few sharp beeps. "ERROR! No data incurred, device experienced irregular shutdowns and malfunctions during time period of…" the dex chittered out the time period that the ghost showed up, though suspiciously left out the part where I was sure the machine had picked up its voice from before.

"Seems familiar, don't it?" I asked Viggo.

"_I guess...kinda,"_ the jackal-like Pokémon shrugged. "_I don't actually know what you're getting at, boss."_

I sent the fighting-type a cocky smirk. "I'll tell you what I'm getting at, V. I know exactly what's going on here…"

* * *

"**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**

"AH!AH!AH!AH!AH!AH!"

"COLLIN, CALM DOWN!" Ian called out to his older brother. "IT'S FOCUSED ON THE GHOST HUNTERS, WE CAN TRY TO ESCAPE!"

"**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"**

"Make it go away, make it go away!" nearby the formerly smug businessman lay on the floor, curled into a ball and repeating his own prayers.

Jackson Hawke, for the most part, figured that the best weapon against a ghost would be a selfie-stick. "Stay back, stay back! I know how to slightly use this, and I will!"

"I know this is the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced," one of the cameramen told the rest of the investigative team. "But, this footage we're getting is great. This is better than anything we've ever gotten before today."

"I know right!" one of the investigators called out. "We'll get such a boost in ratings, the network payout will be huge."

"Don't test me Spirit!" Jackson cried out.

"**HEHEHEHEHE!"** the ghost floated forward, it's skeletal maw opening wide to reveal its monstrous teeth. "**SCREEEEEEE-"**

"HEY!"

The ghost turned to see Jareth at the end of the corridor, a smug grin decorating his face. The teen 'tsked' as he popped the cap on what seemed to be a bottle of dirt, the chains slung over his shoulder rattling as he knelt to the floor and laid down a line of strange earth in front of himself. The ghost blinked in confusion as the boy stood up and held a hand out, becking the spirit to come forward mockingly.

"Well, come on then! I'm right here, lets go!"

"**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"** the apparition flew forward with a howling scream, morphing its own features to appear more horrifying.

It was when the phantom was finally standing(?) in front of the boy that things seemed to unravel. The spirit let out a long and drawn out howl straight into Jareth's face, to which the teen showed no outward reaction. The ghost reared back and shook as the purple-haired boy continued grinning at it.

"What, is something wrong? I thought you were supposed to be the scary ghost?"

The phantasm shook nervously before baring its teeth at the teen once more.

"**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" **

"Yawn…" the purple-haired boy said boredly, causing the ghost to float backwards angrily. "Seriously, you should stop messing around and really let me have it. You're just making every other ghost look bad by comparison."

The spirit bristled angrily as it glared at the boy, before letting out another horrid screech. Energy filled the corridor as objects in the hall were thrown through the air, narrowly missing several of the still terrified bystanders. The makeshift projectiles fell to the floor as the spirit once again charged towards the boy, its monstrous cry searing through the air.

Jareth smirked the moment the spirit hit the line of Goofer Dust. "Hehe...Gotcha!"

The moment the ghost passed the line of mystical dirt, its humanoid shape and skeletal visage disappeared. The shape that fell past the purple-haired boy was a small bluish-green thing no bigger than the telepathic Riolu that stood not too far from its trainer. Not willing to leave things to chance, Jareth pulled chains from his shoulder and flung them forward, trapping the "spirit" inside a circle of iron from which it could not escape.

Jareth looked at the downed "ghost" with a wild grin. "Looks like you're not in such _high spirits_ now, huh?"

"_Booooo! That one was terrible."_

* * *

"D...Dr...Dreeee?" the "ghost's" eyes slowly opened it to the waking world as it weakly floated off the ground.

"Looks like it's awake," I said, watching as the creature jolted itself into full alertness.

The group crowded around the trapped "spirit" gaped as the creature shied back from their gazes. Any attempt it made to escape was blocked by a wall of supernatural force, courtesy of the wrought-iron chains that kept it trapped.

Lucia stared at the small creature for several seconds before being able to find her voice. "What is it?"

"I think it should be pretty obvious," I said, pulling out the Pokédex. "It's gonna sound pretty weird, but it's actually a Pokémon."

The Pokémon's red eyes widened into puppy-dog moe shapes that glinted pitifully as it begged. "Dre, Dre!"

"_Misdreavus, the Screech Pokémon, a ghost-type. Misdreavus likes playing mischievous tricks such as screaming and wailing to startle people at night. Misdreavus do not deal well with folks who aren't easily frightened._"

"What?!" Jackson croaked out. "A ghost type? But how? It did the whole thing with the shadows, and moving furniture, and the spooky illusions, and there was wind."

"Pokédex, what can you tell me about this specific Misdreavus?" I asked the mechanical box.

"_This Misdreavus is a female, and is relatively young for her species, being only a year old. This Misdreavus knows the moves Astonish, Confuse Ray, Psywave, Sucker Punch, Ominous Wind, Screech, Spite, Nasty Plot, Shadow Sneak, Curse, Memento, and Telekinesis,_" the dex made a few small beeps. "_It should be noted that normal Misdreavus do not naturally learn Shadow Sneak, Sucker Punch, Ominous Wind, Screech, Spite, Curse, Memento or Telekinesis as they grow. Misdreavus cannot naturally learn the move Nasty Plot_."

"Isn't it called the "Screech" Pokémon? How can it not naturally learn Screech?" Mary wondered out loud.

The Pokédex didn't register this question, instead deciding to continue it's speal about the Misdreavus before us. "_Misdreavus with members of the Yamask, Drifloon, or Jellicent evolution lines in their ancestry can inherit the move Ominous Wind, while Misdreavus with the Shuppet evolution line in their ancestry can inherit the move Screech and Sucker Punch. There are multiple evolution lines of ghost-type Pokémon that are able to pass down Shadow Sneak, Spite, Curse, and Memento to their ancestors,_" the dex let out another few beeps. "_For a Misdreavus to learn the move Telekinesis, it must be taught by an outside source, usually a move tutor or trainer who knows the move personally. Misdreavus cannot naturally learn the move Nasty Plot._"

That's a bit odd, considering I had seen player-owned Misdreavus and Mismagius in some tournaments using Nasty Plot back in my old life. Sure, it was always in RU, NU, and more than a few PU matches I've seen with them, but the move was still legal...right?

"So this thing is like some kind of super ghost-type for learning move it shouldn't know?" Ian asked, scrutinizing the small ghost-type. "That's pretty cool! Maybe we could catch-"

"No," Collin said flatly, causing his younger sibling to facevault. "For starters, this thing probably gave us all heart conditions just for the sake of a prank," the bespectacled blonde glared at the ghost-type as it sniggered. "And I'm not gonna deal well with something that would probably wake us up by nearly scaring us to death...besides, Jareth here was the one that trapped it, he should catch it."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, that would probably make the most sense," Mary chimed in. "We'd still be thinking it was a ghost if you hadn't figured it out."

"Please don't remind me, it's still a sore spot," Jackson grumbled as he ran a hand through his hair. "I was being pranked by a regular old ghost-type, I feel like a fool for thinking there could be a ghost here…"

"Wait, this Misdreavus is only a year old," I said, catching the attention of the GhostTrackers.

"Yeah, and?" Jackson still seemed sour, but he was still clearly confused.

I turned to the beautiful innkeeper with a questioning look. "Lucia, when did the supposed hauntings start?"

"Let me see…" the woman put a hand to her chin in thought. "I believe that started around 3 years ago, and I've bore witness to some of myself," Lucia suddenly froze in shock. "The apparitions I saw, the first one was at least two years ago."

"So that means…" I motioned to Jackson as I let the thought hang in the air for a bit.

Luckily, the GhostChaser figured it out immediately. "That means that there's still something to investigate, even if Misdreavus was pranking us."

"See? It's not all bad," I said cheerfully. "Lucia got some closure from earlier, I trapped a prankster Misdreavus, and you guys still might have a ghost to bust. Everything worked out."

"No it didn't!" a voice groaned from nearby. I looked over to see the formerly smug businessman walking towards us shakily while glaring at Misdreavus. "That little monster's prank was terrifying. I'm going to be scarred for life, I'll never be able to sleep at night! Do you have any idea what that could do to an important man like me?!"

I tilted my head at the man in confusion. "Dumbass, I don't even know your name, why the hell would I care about that?"

The man facevaulted at this, whining as he fell to the floor. "Why...why must the world be so cruel to me of all people."

"Figure it out yourself," I said, grabbing the chains trapping Misdreavus and wrapping them around her, using them to drag her around with me.

* * *

The Misdreavus stared blankly at Viggo as he faced her. The fighting-type's paw moved to the nearby fork slowly, before using it to spear a piece of roasted Tauros. The jackal-like Pokémon held the piece of meat in front of the ghost-type and attempted to nudge it into her mouth.

"_Come on...eeeeeaaaat,"_ the fighting-type whined.

"Dreee!" the ghost-type turned her head away petulantly, all while attempting to shake the chains off her body.

"V, you're not gonna get anywhere with her like that," I chuckled as the Misdreavus let out an angry huff.

"_I still have no idea what we should do with her…"_ the jackal-like Pokémon grumbled as he looked around our room. "_I mean, you could catch her, since you practically trapped her and there's no way for her to give that much resistance, but I don't know how I feel about having her in here while we're asleep." _

"V, don't worry about it, just finish the rest of your beef and have some pie," I motioned to the six peices of chocolate chip cookie tart Lucia had dropped by our room. "It's free pie Viggo, free pie!"

"_Alright, alright!"_ the fighting-type turned his back to the ghost and walked over, sitting down in his bed a few feet away from me. "_I guess it gives us a chance to talk more."_

"About what?"

"_How bout my training?"_ Viggo leaned forward. "_I haven't had an actual fight since those Beedrill and their colony."_

"Didn't I nearly die? And you almost passed out?"

"_Yeah, that's why I meant an actual fight, because fighting for your life isn't fun,"_ the fighting-type shrugged. "_I mean, the most I know is to just attack, no skill or anything behind it, and most of my attacks only get me by. I don't have any concrete way to bring something down."_

"Aside from Aura Sphere and Shadow Claw."

"_Yeah, those...oh, plus there's Bullet Punch,"_ the jackal-like Pokémon said nonchalantly.

"...Wait, what?!"

"_And a bunch of others I don't know about probably,"_ Viggo looked up to me and tilted his head in confusion. "_What, what's with that look?"_

"How do you know those moves?"

"_My parents both had a bit of a funky family tree, so I inherited a bunch of their cool stuff...and Reversal, which only works if I'm about to pass out,"_ the fighting-type shrugged. "_I only found out I knew some other moves from Professor Rowan, but I used Bullet Punch when I...ah.." Viggo grimaced and turned his gaze away._

"I get it," I said, digging into a piece of triple C pie. "You trust me a bit more than before, but you're not willing to go into too much detail about your past," I felt my lips twitch at Viggo's strained look. "Listen bud, I won't pry into it unless it's a life or death situation. I'll let you have your space there, I promise."

Viggo looked over to me nervously for a few seconds before sighing. "_Thanks boss, I appreciate it…"_

"So, if we're gonna talk about training, I figure I should get you weights first."

"_Weights?"_

"Yeah, fighting-types use weights to train for speed. If you train with heavy weights and take them off, you'll move faster and hit harder," I flashed the jackal-like Pokémon a smile. "I think there's a general store that sells them in Blackroot Town, I've been meaning to buy a bit more supplies anyway."

"_What about my moves?"_

"I'll figure out a controlled environment for some of them obviously," I put a hand to my chin in thought. "Bullet punch turns your fist into solid steel, using that without proper training would be a bad idea."

"_Fair enough I guess,"_ Viggo tilted his head at me skeptically. "_Hey, what about those dragons you wanna grab?"_

"There's a river right next to Blackroot, I can probably fish up a Magikarp…" I suddenly blinked as a thought came to mind. "Or a Dratini? It's not too far from Blackthorn City, they might migrate. I could get a jumpstart on the path to a Dragonite like that."

"_Didn't you say you wanted to train a Gyarados first so you'd have more experience?"_

"Yeah, but having a Dratini might give me more experience with dragons, since they don't evolve too fast," I smirked at that thought. "Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part, but I feel like Blackroot might be my big break in that depart-"

***CRASH***

"Dreeee!"

I turned over to see Misdreavus, now free from her bindings, happily flying around in a circle. Once she realized we were watching, she turned towards us and blinked owlishly. Then she sped forward, a sickening fanged smile spreading across her face as she grew shrouded by shadows.

"...Yeah, you're about a whole week too late to get us with Astonish sweetie," I said blithely, causing the Screech Pokémon to shrink back in shock.

"_Yeah, prolly has to do with the spooky ghost-dragon from another dimension that we saw a while ago," _Viggo snarked.

Misdreavus simply stared at us for a full minute with wide, unblinking eyes. Then she floated upward, not taking her eyes off of us for even a millisecond. Even as she began phasing through the ceiling, she never tore her gaze from us once.

...Wait, shit!

"Ah, ok we need to handle that!" I said urgently, grabbing the formerly discarded chains. "Viggo, if you don't want to come-"

"_I finished my beef, I'm comin' with!"_

"Ah, alright then," the fighting-type followed me from my room as we moved through the halls in search of the lost ghost-type.

Unfortunately, there was a bit of a roadblock.

"Oh, young master Jareth!" Lucia called out to me as Viggo and I briskly walked through the corridor.

"Ah, Lucia," I said in faux cheerfulness, silently hiding the chains behind my back. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, for the most part. How is Misdreavus?"

"Oh, well...she's a bit distressed," a split second of thought was all I needed for my brilliant cover story. "There was this thumping coming from the ceiling above our room, and she got freaked out by it. It grew really consistent, so I figured I'd go and see if I couldn't find the Ghost Chasing Guys."

"_Ok, now you're deliberately butchering their name, I know it!"_

"Say, you wouldn't happen to know if anything is above our room, would you?" I asked nonchalantly. "I was kinda confused as to why there had been thumping in the first place."

"Well, the attic is just above your room, and several others," the woman said nervously. "It could have just been old objects falling down what with all the excitement from earlier, but maybe telling Mister Hawke would be a good idea," the woman gave me basic directions to reach the attic, hoping I would pass it on to the GhostBois, before taking her leave.

After a few tentative minutes, Viggo and I slowly made our way towards the attic. Unfortunately, the universe apparently love to mess with my goals in life.

Jackson Hawke and a single member of his team spotted us not too far from the attack, the brown-haired man waving at me once he spotted us. "Yo, Jareth!"

...I blame Noriaki Kakyoin for all of this.

"Yo, long time no see!"

"It's been barely half an hour," the brunette said sheepishly.

"_He's not very good with time, believe it or not,"_ Viggo snarked.

The paranormal investigator shook his head in exasperation."It's still pretty unbelievable that your Pokémon can speak."

"It's pretty interesting yeah, but I do have to ask you to not tell anybody about that, or even mention it on film," I said nervously. "It's mostly for his safety, since talking Pokémon are usually big targets for Pokémon Hunters and whatnot."

"Huh, really? Alright, I can mention it to the cameramen and our editors, and obviously to the rest of the team," the brown-haired man sent me a kind smile. "I wouldn't want to put you in danger, considering how you helped us before...Say, how is Misdreavus?"

"Oh, she's fine, conked out a while ago," I said cheerfully. "As for me...I was just checking out some of the decorations and whatnot."

"And Viggo?"

"_I can't sleep 'cause I wanna punch stuff, so I'm pacing till I get tired." _

"Oof, sounds rough," the GhostSearcher shook his head. "We were gonna go meet up with the rest of the team, apparently they actually found something giving off readings that don't make sense in the context."

"Spooky," I said blithely. "I'll see if I can't check it out later, I wanna be here in case Viggo is finally ready to nod off for the night."

"Fair enough I guess. If you wanna see what happened, we'll be informing all the other guests of our findings when we're finished," Jackson sent me a kind smile as he and his fellow investigator walked off.

After a few more minutes, I let out a tired sigh. "Oh man, keeping your back to people like that without making noise is so hard…"

"_Ok, the attic is way over there,"_ Viggo pointed to a large door at the end of the hall. "_What's the plan?"_

"Go in and grab Misdreavus again," I said fiercely. "She's not gonna do well with us in the first place, what with our sense of danger getting shot by that spook-dragon. If she fights back or tries to escape, just use Shadow Claw to hold her down and keep her from getting away," I slung the chains over my shoulder and pulled out a familiar red and white capsule. "No more chains here on out, we're going all in for this."

"_You're actually gonna "catch" catch her?"_ the fighting-type gaped at me in shock.

"Yeah, I can't let her go around scaring people staying in the inn, or anywhere else…" I stared forward with an irritated look. "I mean, not only is it annoying, it's just plain rude."

With that, I grabbed the handle to the attic door and pulled it open. The oppressive feeling coming from within, something that would cause sane and well adjusted individuals to fall to their knees in terror, barely made my nose twitch. Viggo and I walked up the stairs, ignoring the door as it abruptly shut behind us on its own accord.

When we finally reached the attic proper, it took awhile for my eyes to adjust to the dark. The attack was filled with boxes, furniture, and old decorations covered in cobwebs. When I could see a bit clearer, I noticed a shadowy figure with blood-red eyes and a fanged smile sitting atop a crate. The being flew forward with a loud screech directed my way.

"Very funny," I said tiredly. "We did this like...5 times before, right? Why did you think it was gonna work now?"

Misdreavus dropped her illusion and huffed petulantly, her flowing hair whipping around her wildly in irritation.

"Don't give me that," I said sternly, holding the Pokéball up for her to see while rattling the chains on my shoulder. "Do you wanna do this the easy way or the hard way?"

That was when I felt it. It wasn't the feeling of the move Ominous Wind, Curse, or Spite, and it definitely didn't feel like an illusion from Confuse Ray or Astonish. It was almost like what I felt when I was near Giratina, but on a much smaller scale, and it was still accompanied by the loud beeps and error messages from the Pokédex, which should have been shut off for the evening.

"Stop! Please, don't hurt her!" I blinked in shock when a transparent figure appeared from thin air and flew towards the Misdreavus, wrapping their arms protectively around the ghost-type. "Please, just leave Maggie alone!"

"_...G...G..G-G...G-G-G-G…"_ Viggo gaped at the transparent figure as it stared us down tearful eyes.

"Yes V, it is a girl," I said flatly. "There's no need to be sexist."

"_N-NO YOU D-DUMBASS! G-GHOST!"_

I lightly poked Viggo on the forehead.

"_Hey! The hell was that for?!"_

"Because you were being racist too," I said blithely. "You don't call the ghosts, you call them the "Phantasmic Kantonians", it's the politically correct term, V."

"_What does it matter if I'm not being politically correct?! It's a REAL GHOST!"_

"She, she is a real ghost, V," I corrected the fighting-type before turning back to the spectral girl with a nervous smile. "Sorry about him, and I'm sorry for threatening Maggie too," I noted that 'Maggie' seemed to gain a softer expression at the use of her name. "I don't suppose you want to talk this out, do you Valerie?"

The metaphysical child gaped at me with wide eyes. "How do you know my name?" the spirit tilted her head at Viggo. "And...he can talk?"

"Yeah, he can speak, in a sense. As for you, I recognized you from one of the paintings," I looked away from the girl nervously."Also, your old governess, Lucia, she told us about you and your parents earlier," I bit the inside of my cheek at the girl's solemn look. "She still blames herself for what happened-"

"It's not her fault!" the spirit cried out.

"I didn't say it was…"

"It was because of those bad people, they broke in and-" the ghostly child gritted her teeth as she let out a sob. "It was all their fault! They're the ones who hurt us!"

"Yeah, we were told about the people with all the fairy-types too," I looked around and spotted a sturdy crate to my left. "Is it okay if I sit down?"

"_You're gonna sit down and have a conversation with the GHOST?!"_

"V, just because she's a ghost doesn't mean she's not a person," I looked back to Valerie. "So, again, mind if I take a seat?"

"G-Go ahead…" the ghost-girl said sadly.

I took my seat on the crate and folded my hands together, all while sending the phantom child and her pet ghost-type a smile. "So, I figure it would be weird if I didn't introduce myself, seeing as I know your name," I unclasped my fingers and held my right hand out to the girl. "My name is Jareth, it's nice to meet you, Valerie."

The ghostly child blinked at me for a few seconds before frowning. "I'm not exactly in a position where I can shake hands, y'know?" the girl literally waved her hand through a nearby lamp to demonstrate her intangibility.

"Ah…" I pulled my hand back and rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed I guess."

"Why are you here anyway?"

"_Apparently your family members turned the place into an inn,"_ Viggo interjected. "_Or, I guess the ones that are alive did it."_

"Viggo!" I nudged him with my elbow. "Have some tact bud."

"An inn?"

"Yeah, your old governess is running it...she doesn't seem to be okay though, since like I said, she's still sad about what happened."

Valerie looked down solemnly as tears formed at the corner of her eyes. "It wasn't her fault..."

"Like I said, I never said that, she's the one who's beating herself up over it," I flinched as the ghostly child began to quietly sob. "Ah, hey don't cry! I'm sorry, I'm just not sure how to handle this situation."

"No, it's not your fault," the ghost sniffled as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I haven't had anybody aside from Maggie for years, and I've basically lost all hope…"

My jaw clenched at that. "How long have you been...well, you know," I motioned to her general person. "The whole ghostification thing."

Viggo sweatdropped at my terminology. "_And you said I didn't have tact…" _

The spirit put a hand to her chin in thought. "I was eight, I think. I was playing with Mama while Papa was doing work in his study," the girl shivered and hugged Maggie close to her chest. "Then those people came, they were talking about some clan and how they were going to "punish" all of us-" the ghost's sobbing soon began anew. "I just want to go back! I want to be able to touch things and feel things!"

I let the girl get her sobs out as I mulled that piece of information earlier. Valerie had died just a year before I was reincarnated. It was probably a coincidence, but maybe Kakyoin's talk about fate wasn't all bullshit. Clearly not everything was sunshine and daisies for everybody in this world...Of course, that probably wasn't ever the case, considering what happened 3000 years ago.

Everything that's happened since that point is probably just another piece of the fallout from what AZ did.

"When did Maggie show up?" I asked, hoping to get the girl's mind off things.

The girl wiped her eyes and turned to look at the ghost-type. "She showed up here a few months ago, running away from some other ghost things," Valerie hugged the ghost-type to her chest. "I scared them off, since they were being mean to her and saying bad things."

"You can understand ghost-types?" I blinked when the girl nodded. "Did you also teach her Telekinesis?" Valerie stared dumbly at me, so I decided to elaborate. "The thing where she can lift objects up using psychic powers, her species can only know that if somebody teaches it to her."

The girl sniffled slightly before her eyes widened. "Oh! I must have taught her that by accident…" the girl looked over to several nearby decorations and focused on them, causing them to float into the air.

"That's awesome," I giggled at the girl's unsteady smirk and sent her a soft smile."Hey, Valerie," I flinched when the ghost turned her tear-stained face back to me. "Did you ever try talking to Lucia?"

The girl stiffened and backed away from me nervously. "NO! I don't want her to see me like this!" the ghost flew towards the ceiling and kept her distance. "I don't want her to be scared of me!"

Maggie the Misdreavus looked up at her friend sadly. "Dr...Dreee…"

"_Hey, calm down!"_ Viggo cried up to the floating girl. "_He's just trying to help you pass on."_

"...What? What do you mean?"

"Valerie, you're...well," I motioned to her ghostly form. "What happened to you was tragic, really bad to the point that you can't let it go. But, maybe if you talk to Lucia, you might get some closure and you'll have fixed your unfinished business. Then you can pass on. Hell, you might get lucky and be reincarnated."

"_You believe in reincarnation?"_

Viggo, you have no idea...

The girl gaped at me for a second, then narrowed her eyes at me. "You think I'm dead?!"

"...Was that not obvious?"

"I'M NOT DEAD!"

"Ah, I see…" I leaned towards Viggo and blocked my voice from reaching the ghostly girl as I whispered to my starter. "V, I think she's in denial."

"_Yeah, it's actually kinda sad-"_

"I CAN HEAR YOU! I MEAN IT, I'M NOT DEAD!"

"_But you're floating around and you're all see-throughey and echoey,"_ the fighting-type motioned to the girl. "_That seems kinda like a dead person...at least in all the movies I saw."_

"Dreee!" Maggie floated over and circled around the fighting type. "Dreee! Misdree! Dree!"

"_What?! You can't be serious, you're validating her delusions?!"_ the jackal-like Pokémon motioned to the floating girl. "_She's goes right through things without wanting to, you can't tell me that's what a living person does."_

"Yeah, I get it Val," I put a hand to me cheek and gave her a solemn look. "You've been dead for what, five years? I don't know if that's long enough, but apparently ghosts start to deteriorate if they're around long enough. But this isn't healthy for your soul, you need to move on."

The ghostly girl glared angrily at me and puffed up her cheeks. "I'M NOT DEAD YOU DUMMY!"

"...Can you prove it?"

"YES! I VISIT MY BODY ALL THE TIME!"

"...Your body in the graveyard?" I asked shakily.

"NO YOU IDIOT! MY BODY IN THE HOSPITAL!"

...OH! It's like that episode in lavender town, where Ash and Pikachu were pulled out of their bodies by the ghost-types.

"You're an Ikiryō…" I said dumbly.

Valerie blinked at me in confusion. "Ikuree? What's that?"

"Ikiryō, it's the ghost of a living person in folklore," I put a hand to my chin in thought. "They can come about when the person is about to die...or if they're in a coma," I flinched and looked back to the girl. "Y-You're not dying are you?"

"I don't want to die...but I wish I could wake up," Valerie looked down sadly.

"Ok, why don't you just wake up?"

"I TRIED!" the girl cried out, tears once again forming at the corner of her eyes. "I can't...the mean people made their Pokémon do something to me. Then I woke up outside my body in...Blackfoot? Blacktoe?"

"Blackroot?" I offered.

"Yeah...I've been trying to wake up inside my body ever since," the girl let out several quiet sobs. "I've already given up..."

I grimaced at the girl's solemn attitude. "That's genuinely disheartening you know."

"I don't know what that word means…"

"Right, eight-year old," I grimaced at the girl's flat look. "You're not happy, are you Valerie?"

"I stopped being happy since then," the girl shook her head and looked at the ghost-type as it floated over to her. "Maggie...when she came here, I felt a little better. But I still feel like I'm about to float away, permanently," the spirit looked at me. "Am I going to die?"

Shit!

"Woah, I'm not saying it at all!" I waved my hands in front of myself defensively.

"I know you didn't say it...I just want to know if you think I'm gonna die for good."

I cringed at that. "That is not something I have an answer to," I paled as Valerie began to float away, a solemn look on her face. "Wait! You don't have to give up, you know? There's a chance for you to wake up, you can have a life again!"

The girl looked back to me with a near emotionless gaze, save for her tear stained cheeks. "There's no way I can wake up, I've already given in."

My jaw clenched and my gaze hardened. "Valerie, I know we literally just met and you have no reason to really trust my word, but there is a way for you to wake up!" I smirked as the girl tilted her head in confusion. "There's a way to help you, I know it! And I'll find it, I promise!"

"If you wake me up within the next two days, I'd probably be obligated to kiss you," the girl said absently.

"Wait, what?!"

"Hmm..." the ghost once again began to float off. "I guess it was nice to meet you, Jareth, seeing as I never have anybody to talk to, aside from Maggie," the girl gave me one last sad look. "Please, don't waste your time on me, I'm already too far gone."

Those last words from the spirit before she flew off were like a punch to my gut. It was one that lasted the entire way down from the attic, even the prank loving ghost-type seeing us out had a solemn air to her. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Viggo staring at the floor dejectedly as he paced beside me.

"_Dude, that was…"_

"Hard to deal with, yeah," I hummed in thought as I mulled over what the girl said. "I...am gonna get that kiss!"

"_Dumbass! She's in a coma, and dying," _the fighting-type grumbled. "_You saved my ass by turning yourself into a living pincushion, but this is a completely different situation,"_ the jackal-like Pokémon leveled a skeptical glare at me. "_This isn't something we can just punch or throw rocks at, you can try to be as stubborn and idiotic as you want, but there's nothing you can do to help her."_

I took a deep breath as I stared forward. "I don't quit on things like this, V. If I say I'm getting a Dragon Pokémon, I'm getting a fucking Dragon Pokémon," I gave Viggo a determined glare. "If I say I'm gonna save a ghost, I'm saving a ghost!"

* * *

I laid awake on my temporary bed in the middle of the night, staring blankly at the ceiling due to my inability to sleep. Aside from the obvious evaluating my life choices due to not even having caught a Ekans as my first caught Pokémon, I was still thinking about the Valerie. Saving the ghost girl was on the forefront of my mind before I had even gotten back to the room.

I couldn't just break into the hospital she was in and yell at her unconscious body to wake up. And despite his seemingly convenient moveset, Viggo's species couldn't learn Wake-Up Slap. The only thing I could think about was a bit on the nose, if I were being honest with myself…

On the other hand, it was worth a shot, right?

I slowly lifted myself from the bed, all while taking care to not wake the fighting-type sleeping in his little Pokébed. I stealthily moved to the bathroom, quietly close the door, and turned the light on. I knelt down and clasped my hands together, closing my eyes as I interlocked my fingers.

"Alright, I know you're up there watching," I looked up slowly and sent a hardened glare into space. "And if you weren't, then you're gonna be watching now you cheery donut motherfucker! Don't even get pissed at that, because that's exactly what you are."

I sensed something, a feeling of sorts, like a calming presence, and I decided to continue. "I never really prayed to anything, but I'm coming to you because praying to a bunch of fossils isn't gonna do shit, and Arceus sure as hell won't care one way or another," I took a deep breath and looked up into the empty space pleadingly. "Kakyoin, I know you probably have some rules where you can't do shit...but please, gimme something for her? You're the one who said fate doesn't really matter in this world, so please?"

I swallowed nervously as I felt the calming presence continue to hang around me. "That's all I really had to ask," I said weakly as I stood up to head back to my temporary bed. "I guess I'll know if I got through tomorrow, huh?"

* * *

When I woke up a second time, I was greeted by a pair of wide red eyes dripping with tears.

"DREE! D-DREE!"

Of course, I wasn't scared by the little ghost-type...I was, however, concerned as to why Maggie was crying.

"_W-Wha?!_" Viggo woke with a start, then glared at the cause of his early awakening. "_Oi! What's with the screaming you-"_ the fighting-type flinched when the small ghost-type turned to him, tears falling from her eyes. "_Woah, what happened?!"_

"Dr-Dreeee!" the ghost-type whined. "Dree, Dree! Dreeee…"

"_GONE?!"_ the jackal-like Pokémon gaped in shock. "_How the hell do you lose a four foot tall ghost girl?!" _

"Wait, what?!" I jumped off the bed with a start. "Ok, just calm down! Viggo, get your fur brush, I'll change out of my PJs and whatnot, then we can hit the floor and look for her."

"_Do you think she...passed?"_ Viggo grimaced as the ghost-type's tears increased in volume.

"V, we're not going to think about that!" I said firmly. "Valerie is a literal ghost, she couldn't have gotten that far without somebody seeing her."

After getting cleaned and dressed, I decided to rule out the obvious first.

"Valerie, you floating around in here?"

"_You're looking in OUR CLOSET?!"_

"Viggo, I have to rule out the obvious first," I moved over to the nearby end table and opened the attached drawer. "Val?"

"_Why would she be in there?!"_

"She's a ghost, she can probably hide anywhere," I dropped to the floor and looked under the bed. "No ghost girl down here…" I moved to the bathroom and opened the shower curtain.

"_Idiot! You were just in there!"_

"V, we have to rule out the obvious!" I said firmly. "And the obvious is that she isn't in our room, so we have to go look elsewhere."

After a quick run through the hallways, which predictably turned up nothing, we found ourselves in the commons room. I instantly spotted the two miniature Joys playing with their Happiny, as well as the two blonde brothers, with a Natu sitting atop Collin's head. At the sight of the others, Maggie immediately shied away and hid herself behind me.

I leaned towards Viggo and blocked my voice. "Ok, just follow my lead on this one, bud."

"_Follow YOUR lead?!"_ the fighting-type telepathically hissed. "_I'm pretty sure that's a BAD idea, all things considered."_

"Relax, I got this," I walked towards the group with a bright smile on my face. "Morning all! How was your night?"

"Terrible…" Colling groaned, adjusting his glasses to reveal the bags beneath his eyes. "I kept having nightmares throughout…"

"Naaat…" his Natu seemed to share the sentiment, though it also seemed to be clutching its stomach for some reason.

"Ah, so I'm guessing that was because of Ma-Misdreavus?" I quickly corrected myself.

"Yeah...poor Natu was working overtime," the blonde motioned to the psychic-type on his head.

"Wait, you taught it Dream Eater?" I blinked when the boy nodded. "Ok, and it could use a bunch of other moves, right?"

"Yeah, Natu actually knows Shadow Ball," Ian said ruefully.

"Why didn't you bring it out?" I stared pointedly.

"We thought it was a real ghost!" the two brothers said.

"Ah...OH, by the way," I moved over to the table near the couch the sat on and checked the attached drawer. "Completely unrelated, but you guys wouldn't have happened to have seen a small girl around here? Long purple hair, matching purple eyes, and she might be a tiny bit odd in how she looks."

The two blondes looked at me dumbly. "Uh, no...I don't think we've seen a little girl like that," Ian said nervously.

"Wait a second!" Marie jumped from her spot on the couch. "What's Misdreavus doing here, and why is she trying to hide behind you?"

"Oh, she's fine now, pretty well behaved," I demonstrated this by patting the little ghost-type lightly on the head, silently urging her to not break down again. "By the way, Marie, you and your sister wouldn't have happened to see a little girl around here? Long purple hair, glowing purple eyes, maybe she's a little transparent in how she looks?" I flinched at the pinkette's owlish look. "No? Eh, that's ok, I'll keep looking."

"Yo! What's going-"

"**URRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"** Viggo suddenly charged forward, transforming the bony knobs on his wrists into sharpened claws of shadow.

Jackson reared back as the fighting-type brought the shadow claw down onto the spot where he had stood just a second beforehand. "AAGHH! Dude, the heck?!"

"Oh Helix, Jackson I'm so sorry!" I pulled Viggo backwards just a bit and sent the man an apologetic look. "We're looking for somebody and he probably got a bit freaked out...OH! Speaking of which, you haven't seen a little 8-year old girl around, have you?" I placed myself in front of my starter as he calmed himself down. "She's got long purple hair, glowing swirly eyes, she's also transparent and maybe floating a few feet off the ground."

The GhostPursuer blinked at me in shock. "Wat?!"

"Ok, that is it!" Mary jumped from the loveseat she sat on and stalked over towards me. "Jareth, what is going on?!"

I looked at the girl and sighed. "Ok, I'll level with all of you...last night, V and I took our eyes off of Misdreavus for like a minute, and she got out," I motioned to the ghost type, who was doing her best to shrink to the floor. "She fled to the attic, and we followed her and...we saw Valerie."

"...Wait, the girl from the painting?"

"Yeah, she was a ghost. Like, genuine article spook. She's been haunting the attic for the past 5 years and she's been too scared to see anybody," I motioned to the ghost-type that now huddled at my feet. "Misdreavus was her only companion for the past 6 months, the girl even named her Maggie. Apparently, Val went missing last night and Maggie came to me because I'm the only person that talked to her."

Everybody stared at us in shock, causing silence to permeate the room for a good minute.

Collin broke it with his exasperated sigh. "Cool story bro, needs more dragons though."

"Believe me, I'm working on that!" I cried out.

"Do you think we're stupid?!" Mary growled.

"...Am I stupid?" I asked dumbly.

"You must be an idiot!" the mini Joy cried out. "You honestly think we'd believe you when you say there's a ghost girl in the attic?!"

"Well, she's not there now, that's why I'm looking for her," I backed away at the pinkette's incredulous look. "I'm not lying! Jackson, you said you found something last night, maybe it's connected?"

"Oh, right!" the brown-haired man dug into his pocket. "We found something really interesting, check it out," the ghost investigator pulled out what looked to be a locket of pure silver.

"See, that's probably something connected to Valerie!"

"Jareth, I'm not gonna automatically invalidate your "encounter" with Valerie, but this probably has nothing to do with that," Jackson walked towards the nearby coffee table and placed the object down. "Now, let's wait for a minute…"

After a full minute had passed, the GhostSeeker smirked as he brought a camera out. "Ok, now check this out!"

At that, all of us looked through the camera as the brunette pressed a button. Instantly, the locket and its surroundings on the film changed, everything around the trinket turning different shades of blue. The locket itself, however, remained a bright orange that seemed to burn around the object.

"What is this?" Marie asked absently.

"A thermal image camera…" Ian gasped out. "And that locket, it's giving off heat."

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Jackson sent a smirk my way and motioned me towards the neckpiece. "Go ahead, pick it up."

I slowly moved my hand towards the amulet, swallowing just as my fingers neared the metal. Finally, I gingerly grabbed the pendant and held it up, blinking as I felt the metal in my hands. There was a strange energy about it, almost similar to what I felt when I was around Valerie the night before.

But more importantly...

"Its...cold…"

"I know, it feels cold to the touch," the GhostLocator smiled as me angled the camera so I could see the film. "But look, it's still giving off heat on film, and it's not transferring it to you in any way."

"...You sure your tech isn't malfunctioning?" I asked skeptically.

"Oh, we made sure. We changed the batteries, swapped out with our extras, everything," Jackson smirked as he shut off the camera. "Since you were keep tabs on Misdreavus for most of the night, we have no other way to explain the other haunting events that we experienced. This locket, it's the real deal, a haunted object!"

I blinked at the brunette. "And what do you plan to do with this haunted object?" I held the locket up and scrutinized it. "The events couldn't have been that bad, could they?"

"They were pretty benign for the most part, just some flowers wilting in under 10 minutes and stuff being moved on camera without anybody touching them," the ghost investigator shrugged. "As for what we'll do with it...I have a friend who takes haunted items and locks them up, maybe put them on display in his haunted item museum. I told Lucia about it, but she's become a bit defensive after seeing it," the man looked over his shoulder with a solemn look. "The locket belonged to her deceased employers, and she's been tearing up the entire morning."

"Haunted museum, huh?" I fiddled with pendant in my hands. "If I find Valerie, maybe I can use this thing to help her."

"And there he goes…" Mary groaned. "If Valerie is really haunting this house, then why do you need to help her pass on?"

"I don't, I need to help her so I can get a kiss," I flashed a bright smile, which fell at the girl's incredulous look. "Ok, it sounds weird but it's actually just a long story."

"Tch, I'll bet it's a long story," the pinkette sent me a flat glare. "Let me guess, she's actually not dead?"

"...Yes, actually."

"Do you have nothing better to do than tell ridiculous stories?!" the girl cried out. "Worse, you're using a...serious...EEEP!"

"Eh? What's going on?" I looked on in bewilderment as everybody in the room stared at me and seemingly backed away in shock. "Why are you guys all wigged out...there's something behind me, isn't there?" I didn't even wait for them to respond in any fashion, instead turning slowly to face what I hoped was Valerie.

Instead of the ghost girl I had met the night before, I was greeted by two equally transparent people floating just a few feet off the floor. The one closest to me was a redheaded woman with the exact same glowing violet eyes. Just beside her was a man with dark purple hair and a thick moustache that covered his mouth. They were practically no different from the painting I had seen them in.

Before I could even get a word out, the ghostly woman flew straight forward and wrapped her arms around me, breaking into a loud sob. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"...EH?!" I blinked at the ghost as she embraced me, my mind drawing a blank as to what to do in this situation.

Although I couldn't feel it, I registered the moustached ghost placing a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you…" the ghostly man trailed off, giving me a truly happy smile. "Thank you so much, for helping her come back…"

Before I could even blink, they faded away completely, leaving everybody in the room to a long silence. There was still an energy coming from the pendant in my hands, but it almost felt like the locket itself was pleased. I couldn't even mull that over before I heard Viggo's telepathic groan.

"_Nooooooo…."_ the fighting-type drooped to the floor comically. "_First the ghost-dragon from another dimension, now this...You're a damn magnet for this shit!"_

"Wait, ghost-dragon?!" Ian cried out.

"AGHH! Those were real ghosts!" Jackson screeched, clutching his hands to his face. "I should have kept a camera on that necklace every minute, I'm useless!"

I looked to my starter, then to the GhostSearcher, then to the blondes. "Do...do you guys even wanna know what the ghosts were talking about?"

"Who cares! Real ghosts, and I didn't get them on camera!" Jackson fell to the floor with a moan. "I'm a failure! I can't call myself a paranormal investigator!"

"Don't you go into places with the intention to disprove whether they're haunted or not?" I glared down at the paranormal researcher.

"Screw his existential crisis!" Collin cried out. "When did you see a ghost-dragon from another dimension?!"

I ignored the bespectacled boy with a bird on his head and knelt down to help my starter to his feet. "Hey, V, you ok? Wanna go figure out why the ghosts were thanking me?"

"_Yeah, sure…"_ the jackal-like Pokémon grumbled as he stood up. "_Where would we even start though?"_

***SLAM***

As if to answer the fighting-type's question, Lucia charged into the commons room with a fierce look. The woman turned her head this way and that before her eyes landed on Jackson, pinning the man down with a wild gaze. The man couldn't even object as Lucia charged towards him, grabbing him by the shirt and lifting him into the air.

"Locket! I need the locket!"

"Calm down! I was just showing it to everybody," Jackson motioned to the rest of the room before giving the woman solemn look. "I get it, you're not interested in parting with it. I won't judge you for-"

"No, I need to bring it to Blackroot town, ASAP!" Lucia cried out. "I made a promise that I'd bring it to her."

I blinked for a few seconds before walking over to the innkeeper. "Hey, Jackson was just showing us the locket, you can have it back," I presented the woman the locket while giving her a skeptical glance. "Let me guess, Valerie woke up from her coma?"

"Yes! She finally-wait a second!" Lucia took a tentative step towards me. "How did you know she was in a coma?"

"Wait, coma? I thought she was dead!" Jackson blinked when the woman shook her head. "The way you worded it…"

"She might as well have been dead," the brown-haired woman turned to me with a flat glare. "How did you know?"

I held my hands up defensively. "Ok, bear with me, because it's gonna sound like a crazy story...but I have a Riolu that talks, so suspend your disbelief just a bit-"

"_Ok, disregarding you using the wrong terminology,"_ the talking Pokémon in question interrupted us. "_But could we maybe get to Blackroot? Cause I need him to explain how he pulled it off."_

Lucia blinked owlishly. "Pulled what off?"

"_Waking a ghost girl up from a coma. I'm tired of his stupidly good luck with stuff like that."_

"I can't even catch a Magikarp!" I cried out.

"Alright, how bout this," Lucia grabbed me by the shoulders and pinned me down with a fierce look. "You can explain everything to me on the way to Blackroot."

"Ah, ok...wait, how are we gonna get there?"

"Oh right…" the woman removed her hands from me and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I hope you don't mind riding a rapidash."

"Rapidash?" I gaped at her in shock.

"A giant Rapidash...bareback," she finished nervously.

"...Wait, hold on-"

* * *

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

"Oh goodness, I hope he's not too frightened," Lucia gave the blue fighting-type an apologetic look as the wind blew past us.

"Eh, he'll be fine," I flinched as the fire horse let out a loud whiny. "This isn't too different from riding a flying-type...well, aside from being on the ground, but that's pretty obvious."

"_AAAHHHH! I THINK I'M GONNA PUKE! MAKE IT STOOOOOPPPP!"_

* * *

"_Never again...that was the worst experience of my life!"_

"V, when I get a Dragonite or something similar, you're gonna have to come aboard," I flinched as the jackal-like Pokémon fell to the floor with a whine. "It's just life V. You can't get anywhere without having something that has fins, wings, or ridiculous horsepower," I looked over to Rapidash. "Pun intended."

The fire horse gave me a small laugh in approval.

"Alright!" Lucia cried out as she dismounted the horse Pokémon. "Now for the hard part," she grimaced as she looked at the hospital before us.

I shivered lightly at the signs on the building.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" the brown-haired woman asked.

"Sorry, I guess I get a bit wiggy around hospitals now."

"_No shit! The last time you were in one, it was because you were turned into a human pincushion." _

I shook my head and stared forward. "Disregarding that...I think we've stalled long enough," I saw Lucia biting her lip from the corner of my eye. "Would you relax, it won't do you any good to be all jittery like that when you see each other again."

"It's just...it's been so long-"

"Five years isn't that long, she probably hasn't changed that much," I let out a sigh as I grabbed the woman by the shoulder. "Come on, let's go."

A few minutes later, I found myself outside of the second hospital room I had been near this month. Fortunately, I wasn't going in unconscious, nor was I leaving with dozens of scars. I turned to Lucia, noticing her anxious look.

"So, I think we could wait a few hours and make a dramatic entrance," I snorted as the woman looked at me incredulously. "What, you've been stalling since we got to the hospital, I figured you were going for the whole "fashionably late" thing people usually do."

"No, that's not it," the brunette shook her head fervently and took a deep breath. "You're right, I need to do this!"

With that Lucia darted forward, throwing the door straight open with incredible strength that seemed to come from nowhere. I followed the woman into the room just as she let out a small gasp at the sight of the hospital bed. As soon as I followed her shocked gaze, I blinked in confusion at the girl sitting upright on the bed.

The Valerie that turned her head towards our direction was not the 8-year old ghost girl I remembered. She looked to be around my current age, her formerly child-like face was now older and more feminine, and her hair seemingly fell past her shoulders in an unruly purple mop, with much of her messy bangs covering her eyes, much to her visible chagrin. While she seemingly had a full figure beneath her hospital gown, it was overshadowed by how dangerously thin she looked, to the point that it seemed like I could actually see the outline of the bones in her arms.

Lucia immediately broke down at the sight of the girl, jumping forward and thrusting her arms around Valerie in a crushing hug. The purple-haired girl squeaked as the woman cut off her breathing, the brunette too busy sobbing into the younger girl's shoulder, crying out constant apologies towards her.

"Miss...Lucia…" the girl squeaked out. "It's...alright...please let me-"

"No! It's not alright!" the woman shrieked. "I should have done better! It's my fault that you were gone for so long, I should have been there to protect you!"

"I...don't...blame you…" the purple-haired girl wheezed. "But...I need...to...br-"

"No! I have to find a way to make it up to you!" Lucia sobbed, holding the girl tighter. "I promise, I'll make it right. I'll be there for you from now on, to make up for that night where I couldn't get to you-"

"Hey!" I called out. "Maybe you could start helping her by, I dunno, not crushing her? Because she did kinda just wake up from a 5 year coma."

The woman looked back to me and blinked, then turned back to the girl she had locked in a crushing hug.

"EEP! I'm sorry! I didn't realize it!"

"It's alright!" the girl coughed out. "Just let me breathe...how did you suddenly get so strong."

"_She rides a giant fire horse,"_ Viggo grumbled. "_She has to be strong enough to handle the thing…" _

Valerie blinked at the fighting-type before flashing him a warm smile. Then she turned to me with a skeptical gaze.

"How did you do it?"

It took a lot of self control to reign in my cheeky grin. "I called in a favor."

"A favor?" the girl blinked in shock. "Who?!"

"_Yeah, who do you have-"_ Viggo cut himself off and gaped at me. "_Do...do you know Arceus?!"_

"Hmm? No, I don't know Arceus."

"_Then who...THE HELIX FOSSIL?!"_ the blue fighting-type pointed at me in awe. "_YOU KNOW THE GREAT HELIX?!"_

I stared down at the jackal-like Pokémon with a blank gaze. "No V, I don't even worship the "Helix", I just use his name in vain now and then."

"_Then how-"_

"Look, let's just leave it at "I called in a favor", because that's what I did," I rubbed the back of my head nervously. "I'm kind of wondering what he's gonna ask me for in return."

"Umm," the purple-haired girl held a hand up weakly. "Is Maggie alright? I didn't get to see her before...well," the girl motioned to herself.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that one," I moved a hand up to my poofy 80s hair, pointing out how it was much wilder than usual. "I mean, this is at least a kilogram up here, I'm not sure how I even walked up her without feeling the weight."

Lucia and Valerie blinked in confusion.

"Your hair weighs a Kilogram?" the brunette asked.

"No, I'm talking about the ghost-type," I poked one of the new wavy bits of my dark purple mop. "Hey, we're here! You were worried about her, weren't you?"

Maggie peeked her head out from my hair, red eyes studying the room. When her eyes landed on Valerie, it took her a full minute to register who she was looking at. Once it hit her, the ghost-type flew from my head and glomped the poor girl hard, crying in happiness at seeing her friend safe.

"Oof! Maggie, calm down, I'm fine," the girl giggled weakly as she stroked the ghost-type's hair. "I'm fine, I promise…"

I stiffened suddenly as I remember the locket. "Ah shit, I forgot about...hang on," I quickly dug through my pockets and pulled the necklace out, presenting it to the purple-haired girl. "I'm pretty sure this is yours."

Valerie's violet eyes lit up as she gently took it from my hands. "Wh-where did you find this?"

"Actually, the GhostFacers found it," I said with a shrug. "Your parents' ghosts were haunting it, and before we came here they actually came out to thank me...didn't get why till we got here."

The girl's eyes grew misty for a second, then she shook her head and took a deep breath.

"I...just having this in my hands, it makes me really happy," the purple-haired girl looked to me with a happy grimace. "I'm glad I could get this back before…" the girl trailed off nervously.

I blinked for a few seconds, before narrowing my eyes questioningly. "Before what?"

"Oh right, the doctor told me over the phone," Lucia said absently. "I already made sure to call your relatives, but they haven't worked out any transportation."

"Transportation for what?" I asked cautiously.

"Well…" the brunette motioned to the formerly comatose girl. "She's been like that for half a decade, it's going to take a lot of physical therapy to get her back to full health."

"I could imagine, yeah," I said blankly.

"The facility we had lined up for that should call in a bit...Oh," the woman looked to the ghost-type nervously. "That may be a problem…"

"What might be a problem," the girl pressed the small ghost to her chest protectively.

"Well, your first cousin removed is the current head of the family, and...well," Lucia turned her head away at the ghost-types anxious look. "He's very much against ghost-types."

...Oh.

"What?!" Valerie croaked weakly, hugging the ghost close to her. "Please, no! I don't want to lose her."

"Dre! Dreee!" Maggie cried out in agreement.

"Whoah, whoah!" I held my hands up defensively. "I'm sure her first cousin is a perfectly reasonable person, you could talk it out with him."

"He's not very reasonable actually," the brunette said absently. "He's vehemently against ghost-types and dark-types, bug-types too, and during one visit I heard him express a dislike of dragon-types-"

"Your first cousin is a monster," I told Valerie with a dead-serious look.

"I...I don't want to leave her alone," the girl looked down at the frightened ghost. "The first time I met her, other ghosts were trying to hurt her."

I tilted my head and stared at the girl, and the ghost-type trembling in her arms. I put a finger to my chin and closed my eyes as I found myself deep in thought. After a few minutes of the two trying to come up with their own ideas of what to do, my eyes opened as a eureka moment hit me.

I pulled out my Pokédex and fiddled with the interface. "Hey, you guys know that Pokémon Centers can be used to make phone calls, right?" I chewed the inside of my mouth as the two looked to me in confusion. "And, believe it or not, I can record contact information in my Pokédex permanently if I need to."

Valerie blinked at me for a few seconds before a grimace wormed its way across her face. "You're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting, are you?"

"Now, hear me out!" I held my hands up defensively. "I'd keep her Pokéball, she could travel around in my hair like before, and I'd make sure to stay in contact with you."

"What about battling?"

"Maggie won't have to battle unless she says she's okay with it-" I was cut off when the ghost-type flew towards me, floating around me and chittering happily. "Uh...what?"

"_She's not against battling,"_ Viggo said absently. "_In her own words, as long as you're not a slavedriver and you teach her some actually useful stuff...Oh, and she says she just might choose to stay with you,"_ the fighting-type snorted at the ghost. "_Really? Cause his hair is comfy? Could have picked a better reason."_

I absentmindedly patted my hair before shaking my head. "Look, it's just an offer I'm putting out on the table, and it's her choice in the end."

Valerie looked to me, then turned to the ghost-type as it floated back to her. "Would you really be ok with that Maggie?"

"Dree!" the ghost-type cried out happily. "Dre, Dree Dree! Dree!"

"Hmm, yes...I see," the girl nodded along as the ghost chittered to her.

I leaned towards Viggo and turned my voice to a low whisper. "Do you think she can actually understand ghost-types?"

"_Wouldn't put it past her,"_ the jackal-like Pokémon whispered telepathically. "_She was a ghost for half a decade, maybe that rubbed off on her."_

"Maybe it did," I said, noticing the way the girl reacted to Maggie's Pokémon speech.

"Dree! Dre, Dre, Dre," I flinched as the ghost-type looked back to me for a second, then a strange smile stretched across her face as she turned back to the girl. "Dreeeeeeee!"

Valerie blinked for a few seconds, then a bright red blush spread across her face. "I mean...that's not...I…"

The hell did that Maggie say to get that reaction?

"I...alright, I guess you're not wrong," the girl told the ghost-type. Valerie turned to me, cheeks red and eyes glancing nervously to the side. "You...you promise to take good care of her, right?"

"I promise, she'll be in good hands," I pointed to my fluffy hairdo as I walked forward. "Oh, and obviously she can have my hair as a hiding spot."

Valerie's violet eyes lit up as she giggled. "Thank you so much! I'm glad she'll be safe…" the girl's blush darkened as she leaned towards me.

A few seconds later, my own cheeks had heated up, courtesy of the sweet but short kiss the girl had laid on my left cheek. "Heh…" I could barely even muster a real word as my mind turned blank.

_"Oh no! You broke him…"_

* * *

Although it was hard to crane my neck up with the extra weight on my head, I wasn't about to let it stop me. Somehow, even disregarding the little ghost-type using my head as a seat, my hair remained perfectly stationary even as wind whipped around us from the ascending helicopter. I could see Valerie struggling to sit upright, waving goodbye to us nonetheless.

"Dre…"

"Hey, you'll see her again someday," I said cheerfully, waving to the girl just as the chopper began to depart. "By the way...what did you say to her anyway?"

Maggie leaned down to stare at my face, giving me a sly grin. "Dre, Dreee Dre."

"...What?"

"_Pfft, maybe they will,"_ Viggo snorted at my incredulous look. "_So...you have a ghost-type now."_

"We have a ghost-type," I corrected, much to the fighting-type's chagrin. "This was pretty neat, all things considered. We went through a supposedly haunted house, putting a stop to a ghost-no offense," I said, giving the small ghost a headpat. "And being involved in bringing an innocent girl back to the waking world."

"_Pfft, wasn't some big heroic moment…"_ the jackal-like Pokémon grumbled. "_Hopefully the next part of the adventure isn't as crazy as that was."_

"Yeah, hopefully…" I said, putting a hand to my chin in thought.

With how everything had played it, it would almost seem like it were a Scooby-Doo episode if it weren't for the "real ghosts" showing up. I'd say it were an X-files thing going on, but that wouldn't fit either-

***BEEP***

"Hmm?" I pulled the Pokédex from my pocket and blinked as the screen seemed to glitch a bit. "The hell is going-"

_*ZZTTT*_

"_Carry on my wayward sooooooooonn!_"

...nuh uh.

"_For there'll be peace when you are done!_"

No way.

"_Lay your weary head to reeeeeeeeest...Don't you cry no more!_"

I felt a bead of sweat dripping down my temple as the guitar solo began.

"_Dude, this is pretty tight!"_ Viggo said happily, already tapping his foot. "_What group is this anyway?"_

"Kansas...they named themselves after the Kansas Region," I said absently.

"_Huh, they're pretty sweet!"_ the fighting-type nodded his head to the beat as the chorus came back on.

"Dreee! Dreee!" Maggie flew from my head and started swaying to the music in midair. "Dreee!"

There's no way that was the Pokémon version of a Supernatural episode. That just doesn't make sense! There wasn't enough dying and scary looking monsters attacking people to make it a Supernatural expy...oh wait.

I let out a sigh as I looked to the Pokédex, tilting my head as the last chorus came on. Then I let a smile stretch across my face.

"Carry on my wayward sooooonnn! For there'll be peace when you are done! Lay your weary head to reeeeeeeeeeest…"

"Don't you cry no more!"

* * *

**And with that, our heroes have finished their jaunt with the haunted house, making a new friend regardless of the distance now between them, and adding a new member to their team. What adventures shall befall them next? Probably not something good, if the author has anything to say about it.**

* * *

**Trainer Name: Jareth (No Surname ATM)**

**Pokémon team:**

**Viggo (Riolu): **

** Known moves: Aura Sphere, Screech, Quick Attack, Force Palm, Shadow Claw, Bullet Punch, other unknown moves.**

**Maggie (Misdreavus):**

** Known moves: Astonish, Confuse Ray, Psywave, Telekinesis, Sucker Punch, Ominous Wind, Screech, Spite, Nasty Plot, Shadow Sneak, Curse, Memento.**

* * *

**Whew, that might have been the longest thing I've written so far. Try to imagine everybody is screaming like Courage, the Cowardly Dog.**

**Yup, a Misdreavus, the cute little ghost witch. Just be glad I didn't give him an Alolan Marowak named Sans.**

***MEGALOVANIA INTENSIFIES***

***Coughs* ahem...guess I should justify everything huh? I remember getting a Misdreavus late in gen II, and the Pain Split strategies I used really hit a note in me. Aside from that, the latest strategies where you can teach them Hex and a status ailment move really hit hard. Mix that with some coverage, and you've got a real nuisance to shove at your opponent, if you can use it right.**

**Before I start the reviews, I have one thing to say. In Chapter 2, I had a lot of reviews going on about how a Riolu was the "most cliche starter" in Pokémon fics, and I had one guest review that was pretty abrasive. To be honest, a lot of what Jareth is going to get was set in stone when I planned this out, including the Misdreavus (just not originally the same way as here). But as for it being "Cliche", well...I've only read like 4 Pokémon fics, and the big two I've read were Ashes of the Past and Reset Bloodlines. Of the other two, one had Mewtwo trying to become a Pokémon trainer, and the other had something about Game of Thrones maybe. When you say "Riolu is a cliche starter" to me, it doesn't click from my perspective. Sorry if that seems odd, but that's just how it works for me.**

**Now then, to the reviews!**

**Rain Sennin: Eh, refer to the above. I'm not even considering having him evolve until I get them to Sinnoh.**

**Crembo: Sheep Dragon for the win!**

**RoyalTwinFangs: I haven't played as much of Phantasia as I'd have liked to...but, Dhaos has a sweet design. Considering he shares the same Seiyuu and VA as Kira and DIO, I do have to figure out a way to incorporate it somewhere along the line.**

**MM955: Mina from AoT? As in, dies after barely appearing in 2 episodes and wasn't even around for a full 2 chapters? Yeah, I took the appearance and name from her, but she's not entirely the same obviously. And again, thank you for the constructive criticism on my grammar, it really helps me fix stuff when I go back through it. **

**Lezaroth: Jareth will get Mega-Evolution by the end of the Johto arc, when it comes up. He'll have at least 3 ****Pokémon that can go Mega, but Gyarados is just the most obvious. I remember when I watched D&P, Paul showed off how you could use the Pokédex to check the stats of your mons, so that'll show up here too. **

**Coldblue2015: Jareth was always gonna get a Misdreavus, Giratina wasn't there to foreshadow anything too much. It's mostly the same as "Ash, Dawn, or Iris seeing a legendary at the start of their journey", but with my own twist being Giratina (who is probably investigating a weird tear in space done by a certain milf-loving redhead). Yeah, I'd imagine having a fighting-type means you need to take up martial arts to better train them, otherwise you'll get something that _is _really strong, but not that skilled. As for Jareth getting a Magikarp or Ekans, the Magikarp issue will be fixed in a few chapters. I wanna make sure his Ekans is a Metal Gear Solid reference though, and I'm still having trouble on how to make that work right. **

**vastolordmask: I completely forgot about that for a while. If you've read my other fic, you probably know I'm pretty knowledgable about giants. That Dragonite couldn't possibly fly or even move on land like any of the other dragon-types, so there'll be a chapter dealing with that along the line.**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing, please leave any thoughts, questions, and constructive c****riticism in your reviews.**


	4. Dark Darker, yet Darker

**Alright, Chapter 4. This time, our SI/OC actually catches a dragon...sort of. This chapter is a bit of a halloween special, so it'll some negative elements at one point...in fact, there's quite a bit of _darkness_ in this chapter. Also, some romantic subplot, but any and all of those will take backseats for the most part. This will be the last update I do on this story for a few months, as I'm going to be focusing on my first story, ****Fudō no Ryū,**** for a bit before moving back to the swing of things. Like I said in my Jojo Xover, I want to write that simply for the purpose of getting it out, so I'll be moving that one along for a while. **

**Thank you to followers and favoriters: hyunkel1234, DianaStarPaws, ShadyBlazin, Noneofyourbusiness, Redxlord, flameclawsxx, hurdurderp, Crybaby Boyfriend, Seit0, Animewolf0369, Marcinox, rgss, ljock3r, Hazy Red Cloud, marcgreene37, jkess, Vatican101, kannoj, hellpiece21, Wawv, Gladius52, Grim Riper, juste leave me alone, HPfan7-8, MagnoliaOrchid, Runolan, a guy1013, tor990, MetaTR0N, Eonreborn, Fan-Of-Fantasy, the Zogg, Fandomforever2015, valhalarising, Lord Orion Salazar Black, blasterdog, Vectrob11, sssweety, gigaderpx9, Nehemias Jose Valencia Castellar, shubro, Rich-Kun, Phantom0408, Lost Glass Slipper, RuthCullen, RandomMexican, BrotherDeath, InvictusValeyard, zangoules, nking, KaitoFreedom76, LostSoul000, NoraStimack, Gfish59, Dr. Hagrid, Michael Market, Capito Celcior, Betoran, himeko63, sutando. tsukai, CDOwen, Bloy, TheLastShadowDemon, Domea, Fujikiller, GrayZoldyck, draculbestia, DarthJarJar, 03Isabella, smrole1, Swinub123, kingslayer98, Genocide54, Freshrice01, GalapagosXD, SilverStar56, willyerfull, Mythic goat, Sabth3607, Joshomania, and Eternal Infernape.**

**Apologies if I've missed your name, it's because the FF doc format doesn't allow certain words to be formatted, and your follow/favorite alert was not mailed to me for some unknown reason.**

**Dialogue format:**

"Talking"

"_Pokédex speaking_" (has normal quotation marks but italic speech)

_"Telepathy" _(everything in italics!)

**_"Speaking"_** \- ?

* * *

**When we last left our heroes, our protagonist Jareth had called in a favor to save Valerie, a girl whose spirit had been separated from her body years prior. After a heartwarming reunion between Valerie, her governess Lucia, and Maggie, the Misdreavus she had befriended, the girl unfortunately had to leave for the care of her relatives. Jareth, being the wannabe-casanova that he is, offered to take care of Maggie at Valerie's behest. The young man and his partner, alongside their newest group member, bid their goodbyes to our young protagonist's newest love interest. Now the three are staying in Blackroot town to recuperate. Just what kind of shenanigans will they get into now…**

* * *

"_forty-eight...forty-nine...FIFTY!" _Viggo lifted himself off the ground and trudged over to the tree-stump nearby. "_Alright, I'm done...whew...tired…"_

"See, that wasn't too hard, was it?" I called out while checking my fitness. "Yes! 10 kilometers exactly! I'm done for the day too," I slowly ground my run to a walk and moved towards my partner. "We can take a breather for a bit, we don't have to work on _that _if you don't want to."

"_I want to...no idea what we're gonna use for dummies though," _the fighting-type scrutinized the surrounding forest before giving me a pointed look. "_You didn't bring any, did you?"_

"V, we don't need dummies...we have dead tree stumps."

"_That...doesn't sound like a good idea," _the jackal-like Pokémon flinched at my confused look. "_Ok, maybe it'll be fine if I used Bullet Punch or Meteor Mash...but Blaze Kick? On a dead tree? Bad idea!" _

"We can try to find one without any grass around it, that might help."

"_Setting fire to a DEAD TREE is still a BAD idea," _the fighting-type growled. "_What...what part of that is not registering with you?" _

"The part where you don't train with one of your attacks," I said dumbly.

I blinked as a shadow floated around the corner of my vision, demonic red eyes flashing into existence alongside a fanged smile.

"Heya Maggie."

The ghost-type let out a petulant huff as she dropped her disguise. I shook my head and gave the floating witch a soft head pat.

"So, how'd you do?"

Maggie sent me a bright smile before making a small popping noise with her mouth. A ball of blue fire flashed into existence directly beside her head. The little ghost smirked at the ball of flame before making another popping noise, creating yet another ball of blue fire. Then, with a giggle, she willed the flames to circle her like a pair of fireflies.

"So you got Will-O-Wisp down. How'd you do with thunder wave?"

The little ghost stared at me for a few seconds, before a loud snap sounded out as the blue flames flashed out of existence. Then, the ghost-type's face turned into a mask of concentration. Soon enough, her form was surrounded by arcs of bluish bolts of electricity, which she then expunged as a ring of energy around her.

Maggie drooped towards the ground just a bit as she caught her breath. "Dr…Dre…"

"Don't worry, I think if we work on it enough, you'll be able to do it without concentrating so hard or getting all tuckered out," I let out a small hum as I put a hand to my chin. "Although, we'll need to work on making a more projectile version rather than a ring like that, so that you can target opponents...the ring thing does give me an idea though," I looked back at the little ghost. "Oh, speaking of which, how did you do with Psychic?"

There was a mischievous glint in the ghost-type's eyes before they began glowing bright blue, a similar color outlining her entire form. A strange sensation washed over me, and I blinked in confusion at the little witch before I finally figured it out.

"Haha, very funny Maggie," I gave the ghost-type a flat look as I crossed my arms. "Now put me down. V needs help with his moves."

The little ghost giggled for a few seconds before gently placing me back onto the ground. I let out a small chuckle and shook my head, before moving to my pack and digging through one of the inside pockets. I pulled out a rectangular object and threw it to Viggo.

"Here, eat that."

"_What?! You're just gonna throw me some strange block-"_

"It's a ration bar," I said flatly. "People and Pokémon eat them so they can keep their strength up. Like, say, if you need to train your own abilities even though you've gone through a grueling workout beforehand."

"_Ah...now it makes more sense then…" _the fighting-type tore open the wrapper and wolfed the bar down. "_Oooh! This has chocolate?!" _

"Yeah, chocolate is actually a pretty good travel food, since it takes a while to rot away," I hauled my pack over my shoulder and helped the jackal-like Pokémon up. "Hell, I should probably buy some for the road."

"_Please do! Chocolate is the best!"_

"Well, I'm not just gonna give you an entire stash of the stuff," I snorted at Viggo's groans. "Chocolate is good in moderation. You can't just eat it all the time-Oh hey look, some dead tree stumps."

Sure enough, there were a few large tree stumps that obviously belonged to some long dead trees. For some, I could tell they had just gotten too old to keep growing, while the others had clearly been sick before they were brought down. They were all the right size for what we needed.

"Alright V, this is perfect. Let's see if the past few days of exercise helped."

Viggo quickly finished his ration bar before walking over to the nearest tree stump. "_Alright then...BULLET PUNCH-OOF!" _the fighting-type had raised his right paw just as it glowed a bright bluish-silver color, then he grimaced as his limb was suddenly pulled to the ground by its now increased weight. "_Ugh...it's easier to lift now...but it's still too heavy...have to wonder how Meteor Mash would work."_

I tilted my head at Viggo's glowing fist in thought. "V, dispel it...then, make a flying punch at the tree stump."

"_...I'm sorry what?"_

"Dispel Bullet Punch, then jump at the tree stump and aim a punch at it while in midair," I explained. "Then, when you're close enough, activate bullet punch again."

Viggo stared at me for several seconds before grumbling to himself. After several seconds, he ran forward and kicked himself off the ground, aiming a punch towards the tree stump when he was at the highest point of his jump. As he neared his target in descent, his fist began glowing a bluish-silver once again.

It was nothing short of glorious. Viggo's strike was true, meeting its target dead center. The strength he had put into his blow, combined with the momentum of his jump as well as the increase of his metallic fist, completely obliterated the chosen tree stump. The fighting-type stood there blankly before lifting his paw up, staring at it, then looking back to me with a shocked look.

"See! It's a little work around I figured out for the time being. If we can set it up right, you can use this strategy to spring a surprise attack on people. We can just code it 'jump punch' for the time being…" I snorted at the jackal-like Pokémon's dazed look. "Now then, ready to try blaze kick?"

"_Yeah, sure...I think that one should be easier…" _the fighting-type walked over to the closest non-destroyed tree stump, stared forward with a fierce look, then gathered himself into a combat stand. "_HIYAAAA! BLAZE KICK-EEEEEEAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!"_

"Hmm? Oh...OH SHIT!" I sped towards my starter just as he fell to the ground while clutching his flaming left foot. "V, hold still! Just calm down!"

"_CALM DOWN?! MY FOOT IS LITERALLY ON FIRE! IT BURNS!" _my starter began rolling on the ground in an attempt to put it out.

"Oh damn it!" I cringed at the fighting-type's cries before pulling him off the ground and hauling him over my shoulder, carefully minding his blazing foot.

I looked around before remembering the nearby river. I didn't waste a second as I ran towards the water's edge, before dumping Viggo's lower half into the water. The jackal-like Pokémon's cries turned into a pained groan, the water around his waist steaming for a few seconds before clearing up.

**Several minutes later**

"_Do I have to keep my foot in the bucket any longer?"_

"Internet says 15 minutes at minimum," I said. "Then, we're gonna bring you to Nurse Joy in a bit. I'm sure Mary and Marie will have a few questions there…"

"_Oh? Mary and Marie...two girls you'd like to MARRY?" _Viggo sniggered at his joke before realizing that I wasn't laughing...and that Maggie was staring at him in confusion. "_And here I thought you liked puns."_

"Oh, I do! They're really..._punny_," I snorted alongside the ghost-type as Viggo shrunk in on himself. "It's all about timing...and I guess context. I don't want to marry Mary or Marie...I'd ask them out first, get to know them, spend time with them. Then I'd marry one of them...or both."

"_Both?!"_

"Sisters like to share sometimes, I won't judge."

"Dreeeee…" Maggie glared at me in annoyance before shaking her head.

"Alright...since we're at a river, I guess I can give this another shot," I dug through my pack and pulled out my collapsible fishing rod. "Fiftieth time's a charm, right?"

"_Oh yeah, this again," _the fighting-type turned to Maggie with a smirk. "_Remember? I told you he failed to catch a Magikarp after trying nearly 50 times. This is gonna be great to watch." _

"Yeah, laugh it up man. This time it's gonna be different," I baited the line with insects parts and casted it, watching in satisfaction as the lure gently floated on the surface. "Now, with a bit of waiting, I'll have caught a Magikarp...Oh!" I went to my belt and made sure a spare Pokéball was at the ready. "I only have four of these left...so I gotta make 'em count."

Maggie floated around my head for a good minute or so before staring dumbly at the undisturbed lure. The ghost-type looked between me and Viggo for a few seconds before letting out an exasperated sigh.

"_Yeah, I know how you feel. First time he did this, I was bored out of my mind…" _the fighting-type poked at his soaking legs. "_Does give you some time to think. Plus, it's nice to enjoy the quiet for a bit, or just the sounds of nature," _the jackal-like Pokémon flinched at what was probably a predator catching its prey. "_Well...most of the time, the sounds of nature are nice." _

"Dreee…" Maggie made a few popping sounds as she played with Will-O-Wisp, willing several blue flames to dance around her.

"_Ugh...if I didn't have to keep my feet soaked like this, I'd be running off or something," _Viggo grimaced as he articulated his singed toes. "_Ugh...there's gotta be a better way to fish for food."_

"Well, I don't exactly have a permit for a fishing spear...plus, I wanna catch some things for the team, so a fishing rod is the best way to-" I froze as I felt a tugging on the line. "...Let's do this bitch!" I waited for the lure to be dragged deep into the water before pulling on the line _HARD. _

The Pokémon at the other end fought me every second I reeled the line in. Water splashed around as the creature struggled against my grasp. Once the water Pokémon was close enough to the shore, I pulled on the line and hauled the beast out of the water.

When I saw what it was, I froze like a Deerling in headlights. Viggo tilted his head in confusion at the Pokémon before us, while Maggie just floated towards it in curiosity. Once it finally sunk in that I had caught it, I felt myself shaking with excitement.

A light blue creature with a cream colored belly, curled tail, and dorsal fin now sat on the bank. The creature shook several weeds from it's face, revealing spiked fins on the sides of its head, and wide red eyes.

"S-Seeeeea?!"

"_Woah...what is that?" _Viggo grunted angrily before leaning towards me and pulling out my Pokédex. "_Oi, little box! What's that thing?!"_

The Pokédex beeped to life and made a scanning noise. "_Horsea, The Dragon Pokémon-_"

"_...No."_

"_Horsea eats small insects and moss off of rocks. If the ocean current turns fast, this Pokémon anchors itself by wrapping its tail around rocks or coral to prevent being washed away._"

"_No...Please no…"_

"Yeeeeesssssssss!" I stared the Seahorse-like Pokémon down as I lifted the Pokéball up. "Alright, prepare to be captured Dragon! You're not getting away from me!"

The Horsea responded by narrowing its red eyes and shooting a spiralling stream of water at me. Years of honing my reflexes with playground bullies and one instance of Beedrill colony aggression as practice allowed me to dodge it simply by leaning to the side slightly. The Dragon Pokémon's mouth began foaming with what looked like light blue mist, and I jumped forward as fast as I could, lightly throwing the spherical capsule from my hand.

***BOOP***

The Horsea's eyes widened as it was pulled into the Pokéball in a flash of red light. The ball fell to the ground and rolled for a bit before stopping.

***Bump***

***Bump***

***Bump***

***Bump***

Boy...this sure takes longer than it did in the games…

***Bump***

***Bump***

***Bump***

.

.

.

.

.

***CLICK* **

(Play Music: Wild Pokémon Caught!)

"I...caught it…"

"_I believe that's what the whole clicking thing was for, yeah."_

"I caught...a dragon…"

"_Please don't start laughing like a maniac-"_

"Hehe...hehe...HAHA! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

"_Why…"_

"I did it! I caught an actual Dragon! WOOHOOOO!"

"_I thought you wanted a Magikarp tho?!"_

"V, there are millions of Magikarp being born every day, I can always get one," I held up Horsea's Pokéball. "But not every river has one of these in it. It's a million to one chance that I grabbed one...now, I think we should take a trip to the nearest Pokémon Center…"

* * *

I entered the Pokémon Center with a skip to my step, much to the chagrin of the fighting-type slung over my shoulder. Maggie had floated beside me, giggling every second I sang a line of "Singing in the Rain" as I walked. Once I had actually gotten to the Pokémon center, I had switched over to "Livin' in the Sunlight".

Viggo actually cocked an eyebrow at this. "_How the hell are you reaching those high notes?" _

"Practice...my friend Rosa actually broke glass with her voice once," I cupped a hand to my chin in thought. "Huh, I haven't actually talked to her since last camp graduation ceremony...Maybe I'll see what she's up to," I looked forward to see Marie working at the front desk. "Hey, Marie! Your cousin around?"

The pinkette jolted at my voice and gave me a startled look. "AH! Sorry, you surprised me...why is Viggo slung over your shoulder?"

"_I tried to use Blaze Kick…" _

"Keyword being tried," I offered. "I put his legs in a bucket for 15 minutes like the internet said, and then we headed over-"

"_Actually, he spent time fishing first...caught something too, but that was in the 15 minutes," _the fighting-type huffed. "_Think you could grab your cousin? My foot still feels charred."_

"Cousin Joy!" the girl called out. "We've got a patient!"

"In a moment!" an older voice called out from the back room.

"Alright, she'll be with you in a bit…" the pinkette noticed my cheerful look. "Is that everything you needed?"

"No, actually. You and your sister can do normal checkups, right?"

"Yeah, we could, but it doesn't look like Maggie has anything wrong with her," the girl flinched at the ghost-type's scoff.

I smirked as I held up Horsea's Pokéball. "It's actually for the new team member. Just caught it by the river."

"Oh?! You caught a Magikarp?"

"_No, he didn't catch one and he probably never will…"_

"So, a Dratini then? Wow, what a lucky-" Marie's shoulders sank as I shook my head.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I have no idea what this was doing in a river...they usually live out at sea," I clicked the button and the creature within came out in a flash of white light.

"Seeeeeeaaaa?!"

Marie gaped at the Seahorse-like dragon in shock. "You caught a Horsea? In the nearby river?!"

"I know right? You wouldn't mind taking a look at...ah, hang on," I pulled the Pokédex and pushed a few buttons. "Alright Dex, what can you tell me about my new Horsea?"

Marie hoisted the water-type up to give it a once over, all while watching my Pokédex curiously.

"_This Horsea is female, and is nearly 2 years old. Her known moves are as follows: Bubble, Leer, Smokescreen, Water Gun, and Dragon Rage._"

"Oooh, Dragon Rage? Guess your dad was a Gyarados, maybe a Dragonite," I blinked at Marie's confused look. "What?"

"What do mean by that?" the girl asked as she poked and prodded at my new dragon.

"Oh, well, Dragon Rage is an egg move," I motioned to Maggie. "Remember, Maggie has a bunch of them too. The only dragon Pokémon I know that can pass on Dragon Rage and would be near members of the Horsea line are Dragonite and Gyarados. Although, it's probably Gyarados, since Dragonite are usually solitary, or they stay in groups of their own kind."

"You really do know a lot about dragons, I wouldn't have figured that one out without you telling me," the pinkette turned the Seahorse-Dragon around one last time. "Well, so far I can't tell if anything is wrong with her, aside from being annoyed that she was caught. I still don't get why she was in a river though…"

I picked Horsea up and stared her in the eye, ignoring the flash of annoyance in her red orbs. "I'm gonna have to think of a good name...one that you'll like, can be shortened to a cute nickname, and isn't too hard to forget," I tilted my head in thought as the water-type let out an indignant huff. "I got it! I'll name you...Calypso."

The newly named Calypso stared at me incredulously. "Seeeeea?!"

"Or Callie, for short. It's a good name."

"_What kind of name is "Calypso" anyway?"_

"For your information, it's the name of an ocean goddess from Hellanic region folklore," I smirked at Callie's surprised squeaking. "So, there! It's a great name."

"_...You gave her the name of a deity?"_

"Yeah, I did," I hugged the water-type close. "What's so wrong about that?"

"_You gave a DRAGON a name like that, even knowing that she is in fact, like you seem to be so obsessed over, A DRAGON?"_

I stiffened as I finally caught on to what Viggo was getting at. "I've made a terrible mistake."

"_AhHgG! I'vE mAdE a TeRrIbLe MiStAkE!" _the fighting-type pointed at me with a flat glare. "_That's you!" _

"I...what's wrong with naming her after a goddess?" Marie looked at Viggo skeptically. "I think that's a pretty nice compliment."

"Sea!" Callie looked down at the fighting-type with a smug expression, back straightened and chest puffed out. "Sea, Sea!"

"_And she's already ordering us around like the "mere mortals" that we are," _Viggo deadpanned. "_Seriously, you're an aspiring Dragon Master. I'd think the main lesson you'd get is not to stroke their egos."_

"Stroke her ego?! You kidding?" I turned the water-type over on her back and began rubbing her stomach. "She's not gonna get an ego if I give her tummy rubs!"

"S-Seeeea!" Callie shook and giggled as I gave her scales a rub. "Sea! Sea!"

"Look, she likes me already, and I just had to give her a tummy rub," I chuckled at her petulant huff as she turned her head. "Looks like I've got another tsundere though."

"_I'm not a tsundere, Baka!"_

Marie burst out laughing. "When you say "baka" after you're called a tsundere, it doesn't help your case."

"I'm here!" I blinked as Marie's cousin charged out of the backroom, accompanied by Chansey and Marie's twin. "Sorry, I was dealing with our latest problem in the back," a solemn look passed through Nurse Joy's visage before she turned to me, a look of confusion spreading when she caught the fighting-type slung over my shoulder. "What happened?"

"_I failed at Blaze Kick...still hurts," _the jackal-like Pokémon lifted his charred foot slightly.

"Oof, that looks like it stings," Nurse joy went behind the desk and began rummaging around. "I have ointment for it, that should clear it up by the end of the day."

"Thanks! How exactly do I apply it?" I felt my cheerful expression falter as the three pinkettes looked at me apologetically.

"I think you should let one of us handle it," Mary said nervously.

"Ah...alright then," I helped the fighting-type down from my shoulder and handed him to her.

Nurse Joy gave me a bright smile. "Is there anything else you'd need?"

"Well, I figured my new Horsea might need a checkup. Marie said she looked fine, but I just caught her in the nearby river, and I figured there'd be some problems from her being in freshwater."

The Nurse spared my dragon a glance and shook her head. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Despite being ocean natives, Horsea is one of those Water Pokémon that don't have much issues moving through freshwater."

"Huh...guess she just got lost in the currents," I looked back to the water-type, snorting as she played with Maggie via the move Bubble. "Guess they'll be fine to get along."

"_Ugh...stings…" _Viggo hissed as Mary finished rubbing the Burn Heal ointment into his foot. "_Thanks, guess I take it easy?"_

"You should be able to walk on it in a few hours, but yeah, take it easy," the Mini Joy noticed her cousin waving her over, and turned back to me. "Sorry, I have to go help out with the patients in the back."

I narrowed my eyes in confusion as the girl left with her cousin. "What's going on in the back anyway?"

"Oh boy, that's a story...apparently, Humans and Pokémon alike are falling asleep all over town," Marie let out a solemn sigh. "They're being put into a seemingly endless sleep and assaulted with horrible nightmares, to the point it's causing them physical harm. The worst part is, well, some of them suddenly die out of nowhere."

"_Die?! People are DYING?!" _the fighting-type scooted back on his chair. "_That's horrible...wait, how did they all die?"_

"Oh, they practically withered away. Some of the Pokémon we had here...it was just awful, it was like they were dessicated husks of what they were in life," the pinkette shuddered and gave us a tearful look. "I never felt more sick over something in my life. It always seems like the ones who died had the worst nightmares possible...and it hasn't stopped."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Viggo's impassive look as the girl finished her piece. The fighting-type looked down with a solemn gaze and clenched his paws. Instead of using telepathy, he used his actual voice to say something, and while I couldn't understand it, I could just hear the disgust in his voice.

"Hey, bud, you alright?"

My starter flinched as I knelt to his side. "_Yeah, I'm fine...just thinking about something from when I was in Sinnoh." _

"And I'm betting you don't wanna talk about it?"

"_It's nothing important...I hope…"_

I gave the jackal-like Pokémon a concerned look. I knew he was pretty private about his past, though I was able to catch some bits and pieces about his family, but he wasn't very open. I just know he's hiding something important from me…

* * *

"_Is it normal that a thunderstorm just started up like somebody snapped their fingers? Cause it feels a lot like that," _Viggo looked out the nearby window in awe. "_Kind of spooky…"_

"Maybe a Lugia is around...that'd be sweet actually," I said cheerfully. "Huh, Pokévision stars today? Interesting…"

"_What's Pokévision?"_

I looked to Viggo as he jumped onto the bed in our shared room. Pokémon centers were neat, since they worked as both a medical center for Pokémon and lodging for travelling trainers.

"Pokévision is a video sharing website," I held up the Pokédex to show the site page. "It's pretty neat actually. You upload videos, people view them and react to them with ratings, sharing, comments, and the like," I clicked a few buttons as a music video came on. "Mostly, it's used by trainers, to express themselves or reach an audience, or just show off their teams-hey, wait a minute!"

"_What? What's wrong?"_

"There's a vid with my friend Rosa in it," I clicked on the account. "She's got like, millions of subscribers. I didn't know she was on this…"

"_That's your friend from summer camp?" _my starter pointed to the girl in the profile picture.

"Yeah...the hair buns are new though. Oh, and she's certainly...grown up," I blushed as I noted the obvious changes the girl had gone through.

"_Tch! Pervert!"_

"V, you just don't understand," I said defensively.

"_You're right, I don't. Doesn't mean I can't call you out on it."_

"Dre!" Maggie flew from my hair and pinned the fighting-type with a stern look. "Dre! Dre, Dre, Dre!"

Callie's look darted between the two, before she slunk away from the ensuing banter. "Seeeeeeee…"

"_I'm not gonna argue with you! He can like girls with those...lump things, if he wants, he's a hormonal teen. I just don't understand it."_

"My guess is you'll get it when you evolve," I snorted at my starter's incredulous look. "Now, time to see what my friend is up to," I clicked on Rosa's most popular video.

The moment I heard the hip-hop beat, and saw the girl dance onto the screen while in a cheerleader's outfit, there was instant regret.

"_**Hit or miss?! I guess they never miss, huh?~**_"

***CLICK***

"Welp, that's enough internet for today," I said cheerfully.

"_I...I don't get it…"_

"I have some pretty weird stuff running through my head, and I didn't get that one…"

_Ah yes...Enslaved Moisture…_

"The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma…"

"_Good to know…" _the fighting-type said nervously.

I turned to my newest capture, lifting the seahorse-dragon onto the bed. "Alright, let's talk about this. I'm not sure if you wanna battle, or evolve, or anything like that. But I'm fine if you're not interested in either, I'm just glad I got to catch a dragon."

Callie snorted happily and let out a cheerful squeak. "Sea, Sea!"

"_She's ok with battling, she's just worried that she'd be bad at it," _Viggo tilted his head as the water-type let out a few chirps. "_She's also wants to evolve at whatever pace is best. She's just not sure she'd be dragon material."_

"Pfft! You serious?! I'm bringing you all the way to Kingdra status," I tilted my head as Callie's expression morphed into a mix of horror and elation.

"Sea! Seeeea!"

"_Wait, what?! Whirlpools? Tornadoes?!"_

Callie nodded at the fighting-type. "Sea, Sea."

"_And that's when they YAWN?!" _Viggo paled at the water-type's nod, and turned to me with a terrified look. "_Why do you want her to evolve into that?!" _

I stared at the jackal-like Pokémon like he had grown a second head. "Because...because dragon-type?"

"_Right, forgot who I was talking to…"_

"I think there are a few useful moves for her too," I went back to the Pokédex and clicked a few buttons. "See, she's got Sniper as an ability...ah, guess there's not gonna be much use for any Rain Dance strategies. I can figure something out to fix it, maybe Dragon Dance," I turned back to Callie with a smirk. "Although, the Horsea line in general is better at ranged attacks, you've already got two dragon-type attacks in that category. I figure teaching you Scald and Icy Wind would also work."

"Sea?"

"_Oh, I know Scald! It's a water move, but it works the same way as Flamethrower," _the fighting-type's face fell at the dragon's confused look. "_You shoot a stream of burning hot water at your opponent, and it burns them...hence the name Scald."_

"Icy Wind is pretty straightforward. You fire a cold wind at your opponent, and it makes them go slower," I snorted at Callie's confused look. "Yeah, I know, I come up with a lot more gimmicky strategies than what'd you'd expect. That's why I'm teaching Maggie Pain Split and Hex."

"Sea?" Callie looked to the ghost-type skeptically.

Maggie gave the water-type a bright smirk. "Dre, Dre! Dre, Dre!"

Callie's eyes widened in realization. "Seeeeeeeeeaaa…"

"And that's another thing," I deadpanned. "I've gotta train my Aura so that I can understand you guys."

"_Good luck," _my starter snorted when I gave him a betrayed look. "_What?! Don't give me that, I have no idea how it works."_

"You have Aura! You know Aura Sphere, you regularly use Aura to enhance your attacks!"

"_My species and evolution line can naturally interact with it...also, those other things I do is because I'm "special" in some way," _the fighting-type held his hands up defensively. "_Best I've got for you is meditation. You're supposed to reach deep into yourself and find your energy, then grab at it to unlock it."_

"Well, that's a start," I folded my legs and set the back of my hand onto my knees, then closed my eyes and began taking deep breaths.

"_...You...you're actually gonna start now?!"_

"Not like there's a better time to start," I deadpanned, tilting my head to him while keeping my eyes closed. "Then I won't be left out of conversations...I'll finally figure out what Maggie said about Val the other day."

I could hear the ghost-type shuffling away nervously. "D-Dre…"

Meditation...what is a good way to focus while meditating? Is it...Music? Should I think about a song? Yeah, that would probably be nice. Think of nice, soothing music while I meditate...

* * *

_Cory! Cory! Corey, in the houuuseee! Cory! Cory! Cory, check it ouuut! He's gonna shake it up and change it! Take it all and rearrange it! Got a, new plan, hey Uncle Sam! We've got Cory in the houuusssseeee~!_

_CORY IN THE HOUSE!_

* * *

***KNOCK**KNOCK**KNOCK**KNOCK***

"AGh!" I jolted back so hard that I fell off the bed. I stared angrily at the door, hoping to my feet and charging over to give whoever ripped me from my "meditation" a piece of my mind.

I was surprised to see Mary standing outside, tears dripping down the sides of her face. Before I could even get a word in edgewise, the girl buried her face into my chest and wrapped her arms around me, speaking all sorts of gibberish.

"Mary, is everything alright?"

"My sister! She's...please, you-you have to help her! Please!"

"Ok, Ok! Just calm down," I held the girl's arms and did my best to calm her down. "Where is she? What happened?"

"I...Please, come with me! You have to help her!"

"Alright, just lead the way."

Mary didn't simply ask me to follow her, rather, she dragged me the entire way. I was only able to get one apologetic look towards my team before she pulled me around the corner.

When I found the girl's twin, Marie was laying down on her back, unmoving. I quickly moved to her side, checking her over as best as I could. She was cold, deathly cold to the point that her skin had turned a slight shade of blue.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!"

"Y-You can help her, right?" I flinched at Mary's desperate look. "Please, you have to try and save her!"

"Didn't you call an ambulance or something?"

"The hospital is busy with patients from what's been happening with the nightmares! Please, can't you do anything?!"

I sighed at the girl's pleading expression. "You're lucky that Oak's summer camp had seminars on CPR. I can help her, but…" I felt my face heating up. "Well, it's CPR, so I'll have to put my mouth...on...well-"

"Just do it! I don't want my sister to die!"

"Alright, alright! I'll try my best," I moved my hands to the prone girl's chest, fighting back a grimace as I held my hands together and pressed periodically. "This isn't gonna work by itself, so please go and call the hospital. Just try to reach them, even if they are busy," I swallowed a lump in my throat as I leaned towards Marie's face, pulling open her mouth while holding her nose shut.

"Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem," I heard Mary say, just as I tried to push air into her sister's lungs.

The hell does she mean by that-WHAT THE FUCK?!

"MMMMPPHHH!" I suddenly freaked out as a pair of arms curled around my torso, and a tongue pushed its way into my mouth.

Marie soon broke the kiss, giving me a sly grin before turning to her twin. "Thank you so much sis! I can't believe he actually fell for it! This was the best!"

...Kono Dio da?!

I stared at the two pinkettes in pure astonishment, mouth slack and face red. "What?! Y-You were dying," I pointed to the the girl still on the ground, then to her sister. "You, you had tears and everything! What just happened?!"

"I've taken acting classes...in nursing school," the pinkette snorted at my incredulous look. "Don't give me that, you just said Professor Oak's summer camp teaches CPR."

"For safety reasons! Also, why?" I motioned to the other girl. "You faked being dead, just to kiss me?! Why?!"

"I...I thought you looked cute, and you're really sweet even though you're kind of...what's the word I'm looking for?"

"Moronic? Idiotic? Kooky?" her sister offered.

"One of those things…"

"Hurtful," I deadpanned. "How did you even make yourself all cold and stuff?"

The pinkette made a hand motion towards the corner of the room. A pair of small red eyes opened, followed by a small black ovoid creature covered by a triangular blue cloak, it's spherical hands and feet peeking out of it's furry covering.

"S-Snooooooo…"

"...Ok then, lemme get this straight!" I stood up and pinned the two girls in my gaze. "You, Marie, have a crush on me, so you asked your sister for help with getting me a position where you could kiss me. In order to make it look realistic, you used your snorunt, nice find with the shiny by the way, to give you a more deathly appearance, hoping that I'd try CPR on you?"

"That about sums it up…" the girl said nervously. "Also, I heard about that ghost girl, and I kinda got jealous about it…"

"Ah, figured that might play a part...Did you ever think about just coming up to me and talking it out? Hey, if you wanted a kiss, I would have been fine if you just came up to me and started sucking face."

"I'm not that confident, alright!"

"But you're fine with coming up with a crazy plan like faking your own death?"

"Uhh...yeah, ok, I can see how weird it looks…" Marie twiddled her fingers nervously.

"I was actually worried, y'know! Like, a cute girl comes to me with tears in her eyes saying that her equally cute sister is dead, and then I see them on the floor like that...that's normally mentally scarring," I set the girl with a flat gaze. "I mean, I actually considered you a friend, so I got really scared there for a second."

"...You think I'm cute?"

"Yeah, you're really cute..." I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

The girl giggled at my words. "Am I cute enough to be forgiven?"

"Well...I'm not really as mad as I should be, so yes, you're forgiven."

"Am I forgiven enough that you'd be open for another kiss?" the girl offered nervously.

"...You know what, yeah. Later though...after I've taken you on a few nice dates first, then-"

"DREEEE!" my ghost-type flew forward, her red eyes glowing menacingly as she morphed shadows around herself.

"...Oh look, Maggie is around," I gave the little ghost a flat look. "Would you calm down? She's the one who faked her own death so that she could trick me into kissing her," I snorted at Maggie's petulant glare. "Also, where are the others? Is Viggo with you? Callie alright?"

The ghost-type let out a huff as her eyes glowed a bright blue. In a few seconds, a Pokéball surrounded by a blue glow floated towards me. I held my hand out just as Maggie dispelled Psychic, the ball falling straight into my hand.

"So, this is Callie then? She's probably more comfortable in her ball, since it simulates moisture for her...so where's V then?" I tilted my head at the ghost questioningly as I replaced the water-type's ball on my belt.

"Dre? Dre, Dre, Dr-" Maggie turned to the space next to her, gaping when she realized that the fighting-type wasn't there.

"...Ok, so he was with you, and now he's not? This isn't concerning whatsoever," I gently patted the ghost on the head in reassurance. "I'm sure he's fine, he's been in Pokémon Centers before, so he knows the layout. He couldn't have gotten lost that easily-what the hell!" I pulled my ghost-type close to my chest as I spotted something behind her. "What. is. That?!"

"Oh, ha, ha! Very funny Jareth!" Mary grumbled, setting me with a flat glare. "We were just at a haunted house, you don't have to act like a monster is going to jump out at us. You're lucky I think you're cute too or-"

"No, seriously, that shadow over there!" I pointed out the shadow in the corner.

"It's a shadow, it's not-"

"_**Grrrrrrrrrrrr…" **_the shadow in the corner suddenly shifted, sinking into the floor and moving slowly across the ground and out the doorway to the room.

I stared at the fleeing shadow being with a fierce snarl before turning back to the others. The two pinkettes were ghost white and frozen in shock, Marie's Snorunt shivering as she hid behind her trainer's leg. I looked back to Maggie, making soothing noises as she shuddered in my arms.

"W-What was that?!" Mary cried out.

"Another ghost…" her sister moaned.

"No, it wasn't a ghost. Maggie would be fine otherwise," I gave the little ghost another reassuring pat. "Real ghosts don't scare ghost-types outright, they have that kind of weird relationship. Whatever that was, it made her actually scared. Since I'm guessing that this place isn't haunted, that was...probably a Pokémon."

"What kind of Pokémon looks like a spooky shadow?" Marie croaked out.

"If I were a betting man...a stronger, more insane ghost-type. Maybe a Spiritomb," I flinched at Maggie's whine of protest. "You're right, they usually have a keystone...something else then, maybe? Best to follow it in case-"

"Follow the scary shadow monster? Ok, now I know you're crazy!" Mary let out an exasperated groan. "That's the worst idea I've ever heard, going after a creepy growling shadow thing."

"Ok, you two can go ahead and stay in here then. I'm gonna follow that thing, because my partner is out there, and I don't want him getting hurt," I charged out of the room and rounded the nearby corner.

* * *

After moving through a couple of hallways, Maggie and I finally found Viggo. When I caught up to him, I stared in horror when I realized he was standing directly in front of the shadow on the floor. I could see Aura pouring off of him, his unadulterated rage soon emanating throughout the building.

While I was glad he wasn't showing fear towards the thing, I was immediately worried.

"V, get away from that-"

"_Get out of here!" _the fighting-type turned to me with a fierce glare. "_Let me handle this, it's my fight only!"_

"V, you can't just-"

***FWOOOSH***

***CRAAAAACK***

I gaped in shock at the tiny crater in the wall that was mere inches away from my head, the last remnants of the Aura that caused it dissipating into steam. I turned back to my starter as I backed up to the wall, a grimace spreading across my face.

"_I TOLD YOU TO GET LOST IDIOT! THIS IS MY FIGHT!"_

"You...you just fired an Aura Sphere at me…" I blinked at the fighting-type's snarl, noticing his shaky stance. "V...what the hell?"

"_**Hehehehe…" **_the shadow suddenly darted away, slinking further into the building.

"_Damn it! He's getting away!" _Viggo chased after the shadow creature, not even sparing me a glance as he ran off.

I flinched when I heard one of the miniature Joys call out to me. When they caught up, Marie saw the still steaming indent in the wall, then noticed my shell shocked expression.

"Jareth...what happened?"

"I...Viggo, we found him facing the shadow monster, his Aura was flaring up 'cause he was angry, and...he attacked me," I pointed to the crater in the wall. "He...he told me off too, then he just chased after the thing."

The pinkette gave me a sympathetic look. "You said you got him as a starter over a week ago. He's probably still adjusting," the girl lifted her arm awkwardly and patted me on the shoulder. "Plus, he can communicate with telepathy. It's a lot different, since he can make his feelings known. You just need to spend a bit more time together."

"It wasn't just him adjusting...I heard him say that it was his fight," I rubbed my temples in thought. "He...he knows that thing. Earlier, when your cousin was talking about the nightmares, he recognized what was happening. He knows what's going on, and he thinks that he's the only one who can stop it."

Mary gave me a soft smile. "I'll go handle him. I mean, our family is trained to help in situations like this, and I'd really like to get to the bottom of why he's acting up all the sudden."

"I...thanks Mary, I'd appreciate it. I'll catch up real quick," I let out an exhausted sigh as the girl ran off. "Still, what kind of Pokémon that isn't a ghost-type travels around surfaces as a shadow-Oh!" I felt the color drain from my skin as Marie jolted at my cry. "Oh...this is gonna be bad…"

* * *

Viggo looked at his surroundings cautiously. Pokémon Centers were always neatly cleansed to the point that everything smelled of antiseptic and pungent bleach. The fighting-type closed his eyes, knowing that his primary senses wouldn't help him, and he honed his hidden sense. The darkness around him shifted as colors filled his mind's eye, light swirling around like wind as his Aura sense formed a rough image of the entire building around him.

Though the Riolu hadn't trained this facet of his powers, he had made use of it more than enough to know of how accurate it was. He could see everyone in the Pokémon center, from a couple of trainers upstairs who were unaware of the events below, to the Pokémon in the medical ward laying asleep, shivering in fear at the horrors the pierced into their dreams. The fighting-type flinched when he caught one particular signature, and a pang of guilt washed through him as he saw his trainer lifting himself off the ground.

Viggo quickly snuffed his emotions out when he caught _it_. The signature of Aura that seemed opposite to the concept of Aura itself, but was more powerful than any other signature in the building, even his own. The unknown thing regarded him for a moment before slinking away.

'_Gotcha!'_ the fighting-type sped after the dark signature, skidding to a halt when it finally stopped. Viggo opened his eyes to find himself in the Pokémon Center lobby, the mysterious shadow nowhere in sight.

"Viggo!" the Riolu turned his head slightly to see one of the miniature Joys running towards him.

"_I knew you were following me," _he said flatly. "_What do you want-Wait! Mary or Marie?"_

"Mary," the girl said curtly.

"_Your names are confusing...are you the one that kissed him or what?"_

"That was my sister, and I can't believe that even worked," the pinkette shook her head. "Why did you attack your trainer?"

"_Because he's an idiot, and the last time he was near a dangerous Pokémon he got a near-fatal case of multiple stabbings," _the fighting-type turned forward and sniffed the air. "_I...I don't want him to get hurt. When he was attacked last time, he was literally standing over me to keep me from getting stabbed. I don't want it to happen again…" _

"So you do care about him?"

"_Don't even accuse me of not caring! He's the first trainer that was really nice to me, that didn't want to use me as a tool. He almost died to save my ass, and he treats me like I'm not a dumb animal," _Viggo shook his head. "_I know I act all pissy towards him, but I don't want him to go through this...well, this! My biggest mistake was not being able to save them, and I don't want to lose him the same way."_

"Them? Who are you talking about?" Mary froze when she saw the jackal-like Pokémon stiffen.

Viggo turned his head forward as his Aura flared around him. "_I know you're here...come out you maniac, then we can finish where we left off." _

There was a dark laughter as a black shadow formed in the floor. A pair of bright blue lights flashed in the blackness as the shadow rose from the floor. Around the demonic lights, a mass of fog coalesced until it looked like a plume of ghostly white mist that covered one of the blue orbs. Pointed red spikes, almost like teeth, formed around the ghostly face, followed by a black body shaped like a ripped cloak. Spindly wisps of darkness dangled from it's torso, transforming into long arms with clawed hands, shadowy tatters billowing from its shoulders.

"_**Well, Well Well...to think that the Aura Manipulator followed me this far," **_the dark being pinned the fighting-type with a mad glare from his single blue eye. "_**You really wish to "finish what we started", so to speak? Hahahahahaha! This will be amusing!"**_

"A...Darkrai!" Mary backed away slowly as the mythical Pokémon spotted her. "You were protecting Jareth...from a DARKRAI?!" the girl's back met the wall and she sunk to the floor at the Mythical Pokémon pinned her with a menacing gaze.

"_What do you think was causing all the nightmares?" _the fighting-type growled when he caught the dark-type's hungry stare. "_HEY! Leave her be, I'm the one you need to focus on!"_

Darkrai snorted at Viggo's proclamation. "_**I'm just thinking about what I'd like to eat when I win this fight, Aura Manipulator," **_the dark-type set his eyes on the young Riolu. "_**As entertaining as you are, I know just how tiring it'll be to fight you...now then," **_the Pitch-Black Pokémon held out a clawed hand towards his opponent. "_**Ominous wind…"**_

***FWOOOOOOOOSH***

A dark-purple wind blew towards Viggo, blowing him back several feet. The fighting-type dug his feet as best he could, covering his face as the ghostly wind buffeted him. He quickly shoved his left paw forward as it glowed bright blue, and fired a wave of energy that compressed the air around it as it speared towards the Mythical Pokémon. Darkrai growled as the Vacuum Wave slammed into him head on, throwing him back a few meters.

Viggo didn't let up, leaping forward as a white light streamed behind him. The fighting-type hit home with Quick Attack, slamming his knee straight into the dark-type's face. Before Darkrai could regain his bearings, the jackal-like Pokémon slammed his paw straight into the Mythical Pokémon's chest with incredible force, displacing the air directly behind the dark Pokémon.

The young Riolu glared up at the dark-type, his breathing coming out in ragged gasps. Then he froze as the Pitch-Black Pokémon let out a small breath. This tiny gasp turned into a dark chuckle, then to full blown laughter as the Mythical Pokémon drew his head back in mirth.

(Play: Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Legendary theme)

"_**Hahahaha! Yes, hilarious! Amusing! You really caught me off guard there, Aura Manipulator…"**_

"_I'll show you amusing you bastard!" _Viggo formed an Aura Sphere in his right paw and thrust it into the dark-type's face.

Darkrai laughed as the attack slammed him into the ground. "_**Hehe, yes, you're strongest attack...I suppose I'll have to deal with that," **_the Pitch-Black Pokémon righted himself and floated upward, then lifted a clawed hand towards the fighting-type. "_**No more of that…"**_

Darkrai's single visible eye glowed brighter than normal, and Viggo was suddenly outlined by a blue light for a few seconds. When it faded, the fighting-type shuddered before growling at the Mythical Pokémon.

"_You think you're gonna psyche me out? Screw you!" _the young Riolu held his paw out and gathered the energy to form an Aura Sphere. Some of his color drained from him when he felt nothing happen. "_Wh-what the hell?!"_

"He used Disable!" Mary cried out as she crawled further away. "He made it so that you can't use Aura Sphere for a while. It should wear off-"

"_**You will lose before that happens," **_Darkrai held his claws hand out to his side, and the black tatters on his shoulders began waving around, weaving cold black smoke into the air. "_**Haze…" **_

Viggo shivered as the black smoke drifted around him. Before he could react, the dark-type floated back into the cloud of smoke and faded into the darkness. The fighting-type turned his head at every sound from within the smoky haze, holding his arms up in a defensive stance. Dark laughter rang out from within the icy black cloud, black shapes danced around his vision, and an ominous feeling pinned him where he stood.

The young Riolu cried out as a dark shape slammed into him, disappearing when he looked. He was thrown back a few feet as the shape slammed into him from behind before once again fading into the cold smoke. Viggo let out an angry huff as he held his arms in a cross shape directly in front of his face. His guarded stance was utterly useless, as a black shape once again slammed into him from behind, knocking him to the floor.

"_Aghhh...Screw this!" _the fighting-type fired off another Vacuum Wave, this time towards the ground, causing the smoke to float into the air and dissipate.

When the smoke was completely gone, Viggo stiffened at what he saw.

"_**Impressive, you overcame my Haze strategy…"**_

"_**It will not do you any good, however…"**_

"_**You won't find it easy to beat me, not in the slightest…"**_

Dozens of Darkrai formed a circle around him, staring at him with malicious glee in their demonic blue eyes. Viggo glared at every Darkrai in turn, firing off as many Vacuum Waves as he could. The real Darkrai slammed into him with Quick Attack, then faded back into his army of copies as they surrounded the downed fighting-type.

"_**I do enjoy this, you have more conviction than our last few battles," **_the dark-type mused as he slammed into the young Riolu with another Quick Attack before falling back to his copies. "_**I like to hold back quite a bit, after all...killing you would be like killing a beloved pet. You're just so adorable when you go on about getting revenge."**_

"_It's not...just about...revenge this time…" _the downed fighting-type growled angrily. "_I have more to worry about than just revenge...and I'm not gonna fail again! Not this time, when so much is at stake!"_

"_**Oh? You mean the girl? The girl is your new master," **_the Pitch-Black Pokémon hummed as he and his copies regarded the pinkette. "_**No, you were discussing someone else before...you have a trainer. A young man perhaps? You actually care about him," **_the Darkrai leaned forward, their blue eyes glinting maliciously. "_**I wonder...what are his nightmares like...more importantly...how will they taste?"**_

"_Not happening!" _the jackal-like Pokémon fired a Vacuum Wave at several copies, dissipating them into nothingness. More simply took their place, and the young Riolu groaned angrily. "_Ugh...well, guess I've gotta use that for once," _Viggo smirked as he held himself into an attack ready stance. "_You know...the only reason I know Bullet Punch and Vacuum Wave, is because on my mom's side, her grandpa was a Hitmonchan. All about punching and fighting, those guys…" _

"_**You act as though I care, Aura Manipulator. Knowing where your abilities come from won't intrigue me about you any more than I already am."**_

"_Oh, but this is important...see, my dad's grandpa, he was a Hitmonlee...that's why I've got cool stuff like Blaze Kick and High Jump Kick…" _the fighting-type smirked. "_Also...Mind Reader," _Viggo's eyes glowed white, and he turned to his left.

Darkrai's single visible eye went wide as a Vacuum Wave slammed into him. The copies around him soon dissipated as the young Riolu fired a barrage of Vacuum Waves towards the dark-type. When the Pitch-Black Pokémon's flotation faltered, Viggo decided it was time to finish him. The fighting-type jumped up and aimed a punch towards the Mythical Pokémon, powering his fist towards the dark-type. Just as he was a few feet from connecting the blow, Viggo willed his paw to glow a metallic blue.

Darkrai's wispy face parted as Bullet Punch hit home, and the Pitch-Black Pokémon was slammed into the ground with great force. Viggo shakily lifted himself off the prone dark-type and shuffled towards the nearby Pokémon Nurse in training.

"_Hey, I feel all woozy…" _the fighting-type groaned. "_Did I actually just get him for once?"_

"I...I don't know how you know that thing, but yeah, you beat him," the pinkette helped Viggo keep himself steady. "I'm glad you defeated him, but I really need to know what that was about."

"_Met him in Sinnoh...he murdered a whole town, and I failed to stop it," _the jackal-like Pokémon lifted a paw victoriously. "_Woohoo...redemption...oof, we should call the cops to get rid of him or-"_

"_**Heh...hehehehe…"**_

"_Oh, Helix damn it!" _Viggo turned just in time to see the Pitch-Black Pokémon floating back into the air. "_Can't you just stay down?!"_

Darkrai stared at them wordlessly before slowly floating away, then quickly darting into the medical ward. The fighting-type lost all color, letting out a cry of terror as he sped after the dark-type, with Mary following close behind.

When they found Darkrai, they both paled at what they saw. The Pitch-Black Pokémon floated over a sleeping Slowbro, and held his claws over the prone water-type. Dark energy formed around the Mythical Pokémon, and his fog-like head brightened and whipped around like a white candle flame. Slowbro's form became surrounded by pink energy which soon floated towards Darkrai's head in a thick stream, disappearing into the mist that made up the dark-type's face.

As energy streamed into Darkrai, Slowbro's body began to deteriorate. The water-type began losing color, his skin grew thinner, and his breathing became ragged. The Hermit Crab Pokémon began screaming and crying out in its sleep, thrashing around as its energy was sapped, before it began dying down as his breathing stopped. Not long after his breathing died out, his body slowly became nothing but a pale husk of what it had once been.

Darkrai, on the other hand, looked better than he had before. His body was less battered, his misty head was brighter and billowed around much more vividly than before. The dark-type turned to the two with a murderous gaze, dark laughter echoing throughout the room.

Mary held a hand over her mouth as tears fell from her eyes. "That...that didn't happen! Please tell me I didn't just see that!"

"_You did…" _Viggo shook with rage as he took a step towards the Mythical Pokémon. "_He eats the dreams of Pokémon and Humans who are having nightmares. He goes around deliberately causing whole towns to get nightmares so he can go on a binge."_

"_**He's right you know. Funny enough, I came to this town looking to get "White Girl Wasted", so to speak," **_the dark-type floated forward. "_**I think watching you struggle and cry again will make it even sweeter…"**_

"Screech!"

"_**Huh?!"**_

"**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"**

"_**GAAH!" **_Darkrai let out a pained grunt as a shockwave of sound slammed into him, rattling his body and lowering his natural defenses.

"You know, you could have told me about the spooky dark-type!"

"_...Boss?!"_

Jareth gave his starter a soft smile. "We've got a bit to talk about, huh?"

* * *

Maggie floated beside me as I smiled at Viggo. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the Mythical Pokémon righting itself in midair. I snapped my fingers, and the ghost-type let out another loud scream towards the Pitch-Black Pokémon.

"_**AGH! STOP THAT!"**_

"Yeah no! You're not getting out of this," I held my hand up and clenched it into a fist. "I'm gonna do you a fuck!"

"_**...Excuse me?!"**_

"NEVER!" I charged forward and slammed my fist straight into the dark-type's fog-like face, knocking it into the wall. "Huh...guess I know Mach Punch then, huh?"

"_You...you punched him in the face?"_

"Kind of like how I threw a rock at that shiny Beedrill to get him to not stab you," I walked over to my starter and knelt to his height. "So...you threw an Aura Sphere at me."

Viggo buried his face into my chest and wrapped his arms around me. "_I'm sorry! I didn't want you to get hurt!" _the fighting-type sniffled as tears rolled down his cheeks. "_I know I've been a jerk, and I've acted like I didn't want to be around you, but…" _the jackal-like Pokémon's voice hitched. "_When I saw those Beedrill two weeks ago, and you got stabbed, I actually got scared. You didn't have to do it, but you still took those attacks for me!"_

"V, I'm not mad that you've been all tsundere towards me, and you have been. I get it, it's hard for you to adjust to a trainer all the sudden," I patted the fighting-type on the head. "And I get that you've had a rough past, since you don't like me prying. But I remembered thinking about being a trainer, and how I'd take care of whichever Pokémon Professor Oak gave me no matter what. Even when you came out glaring at me, I knew I wasn't gonna give up on you."

"_I...I'm sorry about the Aura Sphere. I'm sorry about being a jerk, and I'm sorry-"_

"Quit apologizing! I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed that you didn't trust me enough to ask me to help," I hugged my starter close and stroked his fur reassuringly. "I want you to trust me, because I trust you more than you realize."

"_I...thank you!" _the fighting-type sniffled as he pulled away, wiping the tears from his eyes as best he could. "_You...you're the only trainer who didn't treat me like I was your tool, or a dumb animal who followed orders. Thank you for everything."_

"You're welcome V...now then," I turned back to the Mythical Pokémon as it pulled itself out of the wall. "Do you afraid?!"

"_**That isn't even a proper senten-"**_

"Curse!"

"Dre!" the ghost-type glowed with ghostly energy and let out a pained grunt. "**DREEE! DREE DREE DREE DREEEEEE! DREE DRE!"** a second later, Darkrai's body jolted as though he were assaulted by an unseen force.

"_**AGH! YOU LITTLE-GAAAH!" **_the Mythical Pokémon glared at me and held his left hand towards me, and fired a beam of black and purple circles at me.

I quickly dodged and snapped my fingers. "Maggie, Spite!"

"Dre!" the ghost-type's face morphed into a deranged look as waves of ghostly energy hit the dark-type.

"_**Ohohoh...so that's how you fight," **_Darkrai floated back and set me with a mad stare. "_**You plan to weaken me, to the point that I'll be an easy kill...quite similar to my own style, playing tricks like that-"**_

"Lemme stop you right there champ!" I tilted my head with a snort. "See, I hear you using telepathy to speak, but all I can get is "Oooh, look at me! I'm so edgy, edgy edgy edgy! I'm so edgy my voice will give you a papercut!" while some Black Veil plays in the background."

"_**...Are you mocking me?"**_

I pulled Callie's Pokéball out as I continued to stare at the dark-type dumbly. "Oh no, no...pfft, yeah!" I immediately unleashed my newly caught dragon with a short throw. "Callie, hit him with Smokescreen!"

The moment Calypso was out of her Pokéball, she began spewing ink from her mouth. More than a few shots hit home, and the Mythical Pokémon was quick to react.

"_**AGH! What the-Agh, my eye!"**_

"See, this is why you shouldn't cover the other one," I snapped my fingers to get my ghost-type's attention. "Maggie, Thunder Wave!"

"Dre!" Maggie's expression turned into one of deep concentration as electricity arced around her. Finally, she shot a bolt of thunder surrounded by rings of electricity at the dark-type, letting out a wild cry as it hit.

"Alright! You did it!" I caught the ghost-type as she fell, exhausted from the attack. "Alright sweety, don't worry. I won't ask you to do anything unless we really need it...alright, V! Are you okay with using Screech on-" I jolted as a bolt of dark energy flew at me.

Before I could react, the dark-type became surrounded by a white light and shot forward. Although I was able to dodge, it was by a hairwidth. I held Maggie close to my chest as the paralyzed Darkrai stared at me with slightly reddened eyes.

"_**You...you made me hurt…" **_the Pitch-Black Pokémon glared at me as it stiffly moved towards us. "_**I haven't actually been hurt in a long time...you...you must die."**_

The Mythical Pokémon shakily raised its right arm, which immediately began to crackle with dark energy. A dark and purple ball began forming in its hand, and it stiffly threw the ball forward.

I darted out of the path of his attack and picked up my other two Pokémon. "Come on! We're moving!" I used my free hand to pull Mary along with me. "Too enclosed of a space, he'll get us with...whatever that was!"

"_Dark Void! That's his special move, he can put people and Pokémon to sleep with it."_

"Why the hell is he doing this?!" I placed Maggie on my head and lifted the other two onto my shoulders before pulling out the Pokédex. "Hey, dex! What's up with Darkrai?!"

The device beeped a few times before an image of Darkrai showed up. "_Darkrai, the Pitch-Black Pokémon. __When it feels threatened, Darkrai chases people and Pokémon from its territory by causing them to experience deep, nightmarish slumbers. However, more often than not, Darkrai do not mean any harm._"

"_LIES! Your tech box is a box of lies!"_

"He's right!" Mary cried out, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. "I...I saw him eat that Slowbro in the medical ward, while it was sleeping. The poor thing was screaming and crying before it…" the pinkette's voice died in her throat.

"Alright then...Dex!" I turned to the Pokédex as I pulled the girl out of the medical ward. "I need you to update all info on Darkrai! Darkrai actually suck the life out of Pokémon they've put into nightmare slumbers."

The device let out another few beeps. "_Updating...collecting nearby data from environment...collecting recently recorded eyewitness account…_"

"Huh, it recorded you when you mentioned the Slowbro," I pulled the girl to the center of the Pokémon Center lobby, where her sister was waiting. "Neat feature…"

"Sis! What happened?! What...why are you crying?" Marie turned to me with an unsure look.

"Ok, so there's a Darkrai in here, and he just ate a Slowbro...also he said he was gonna kill me."

"I...you're not joking," the girl paled at my serious look. "There's actually a-Oh Helix!"

"Hmm?" my eyes widened as I turned to look behind me. "Oh, you caught up to us?"

"_**Stand still, human!" **_the paralyzed dark-type growled. "_**I'm going to make this as slow and painful as I can manage."**_

"Hehe...you meant to say that you'll make it quick, right?"

"_**No, I did not…" **_

"Welp, I tried being gimmicky and tricky about beating you...but since you're defenses are down," I poked my new dragon lightly. "Calypso...Dragon Rage."

"Sea?!"

"Yes, Dragon Rage," I said cheerfully.

"Seeeeaaa…" the water-type hopped down from my shoulder and stared at Darkrai apologetically. "Sea, Sea Sea."

Darkrai floated back in surprise. "_**You're...apologizing..for what? What is so bad that even I don't deserve it?"**_

Callie ignored the dark-type and instead closed her eyes. Suddenly, a great blast of air whirled around her and powered through the building. The seahorse-like Pokémon opened her eyes to reveal completely blood-red glowing orbs that bore into the Mythical Pokémon with pure, unadulterated rage.

(Play: MEGALOVANIA)

"_**...Ok, now I have a really bad feeling about-"**_

"**SEEEEEEEAAAAAAA!" **

Callie's roar was accompanied by a blast of bluish-purple fire that buffeted the dark-type. Darkrai let out a pained screech as the flames washed over him, the little dragon not letting up. Calypso only let up to take a short breath, before once again letting loose a stream of dragonfire at the Mythical Pokémon.

Neat thing about Dragon Rage is that the real thing is _nothing _like it is in the games. Unlike the game version of Dragon Rage, which only did 40 damage, the real Dragon Rage was basically like Flamethrower...except, 100x worse than normal Flamethrower.

"_**AAAAGHHH! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" **_Darkrai screeched in pain as the dragonfire washed over him.

"Alright Callie, that's enough," I felt my expression falter when the water-type didn't let up. "Ok, Calypso, that's enough."

The dragon cut off the dragonfire attack and turned to me with blood red eyes. "**Seeeeeaaaa…"**

"None of that! He's had more than enough," I patted the water-type on the head lightly. "Calm down, alright."

"**S...Sea...S-S...**seea?" Callie blinked her eyes back to normal and looked at the carnage she had caused. "Sea?"

"_**AGGGGGHHH! WHY ISN'T IT STOPPING?!" **_I smirked as the dark-type cried in rage and pain. "_**WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"**_

"Pfft! You're covered in dragonfire," I pointed to the bluish-purple flames as Darkrai tried to put them out. "You can put them out like that unless you have time to do it, and don't even think about going for a dip in the river. Dragonfire can only be put out by an ice-type attack, which means you're shit out of luck!"

"_**YOU! YOU WORM! I'LL-AAAGH!" **_the dark-type jolted his body was rattled by an unseen attack.

"And of course, you're still under the effects of curse from earlier, so if you keep fighting...you're gonna have a bad time."

"_**You...you...YOU'RE DEAD!" **_

I quickly jumped back as the dark-type made for a stiff Quick Attack. The flaming dark-type stiffly turned to me with a vengeful glare.

"_**I won't just kill you...I'll make you suffer for this…" **_the Pitch-Black Pokémon turned to the two frightened girls. "_**I'll kill them! I'LL DESTROY THEM, AND EVERYTHING YOU CARE ABOUT! YOU'LL LOSE EVERYTHING FOR CROSSING ME!"**_

"Yeah, sure! You, the guy who's being burned alive by dragonfire, is gonna take away the things I care about," I charged forward and slammed a fist into the Mythical Pokémon's face once again, throwing him back several feet. "Don't make me laugh! You're in no position to scare me off! Viggo, hit him!"

"_With pleasure!" _my starter smirked as he formed an orb of blue energy between his paws. "_Hey, dumbass! Guess what just got back?!"_

"_**Guhhhh...damn it all…" **_the dark-type hissed as Viggo threw a barrage of Aura Sphere at him, with plenty of the orbs hitting home. "_**Need to...escape…"**_

I flinched as the bell at the Pokémon Center door jingled, and I turned to see Nurse Joy walking through the door, followed closely by the local Officer Jenny. The two women blinked at the scene before them in shock. Before either of them could get a word out, Darkrai fired a beam of dark-purple energy at their feet, causing the two to jump back in terror.

"Cousin Joy!" Mary ran towards the older woman in a bid to help.

"_**GET OUT OF MY WAY!" **_

"EEEP!"

I ran forward as if by instinct, grabbing the girl and jumping out of the deranged dark-type's path. Darkrai skidded across the floor suddenly, and lifted himself up with a clawed hand. The Pitch-Black Pokémon sent me a mad glare as he demolished the doors with a blast of Dark Pulse.

"_**What is your name, Human?!"**_

"Jareth…" I said, setting the dark-type with a flat glare.

"_**Sleep with an eye open from now on, Jareth...I'll find a way to make you pay…"**_

With that, Darkrai flew off, still paralyzed, cursed, and burning with dragonfire. I jumped to my feet, still staring at the spot where the dark-type had been while dusting myself off. I looked back to Mary and held my hand out for the girl to take.

"You alright?"

The pinkette blushed as she took my hand. "Y-Yeah, thank you…"

"Ok, would any of you be willing to tell me what just happened?!" I cringed as Officer Jenny pinned me with a fierce glare.

"Right, so that Darkrai was the one causing Pokémon to have nightmares, and he was eating their life force when nobody was looking," I rubbed the back of my head nervously. "The only reason I found out was because my starter, Viggo here," I motioned to the fighting-type. "He has some history with that specific Darkrai, and went on his own to fight it off."

"How do you know that this Darkrai is the one who caused the nightmares and deaths in the first place?"

"I saw it," Mary chimed in, a solemn expression spreading across her features. "It was...it ate a Slowbro in the medical ward. I couldn't stop it from happening…"

Mary's cousin went wide eyed at this. "A Slowbro...Oh dear…" Nurse Joy shook her head and gave me a sad look. "I...could you maybe explain what happened? I'm still having trouble following this. A legendary just attacked me and I find out that a patient is...well…"

I took a deep breath and gave her a sympathetic look. "Well...ah, maybe I should leave out the lead up to it," I said sheepishly. "But, I can give you everything from my side, and Viggo can fill in the blanks."

* * *

**The very next day**

"Huh...it stopped raining then."

"_I mean...it's not meant to be surprising," _Viggo said blithely. "_Did make the entire night even creepier though." _

"Good to know that the Pokédex is finished correcting its data," I held the device up and scrutinized the new information on Darkra. "Apparently, there are a few trainer owned Darkrai out there, enough to confirm it."

"_Who would want one of those things?"_

"Every group has their bad eggs, V," I shook my head. "Even dragon-types have them. I know, sounds crazy coming from me, but I'm okay with admitting it. I'm sure not all Darkrai are psychopaths who want to eat people," I hauled the fighting-type onto my shoulder with a smirk. "Alright, let's get going."

"_Right, the package we have to deliver. I keep forgetting about that thing...still don't know what it is."_

"Probably dragon scales, makes the most sense," I waved Maggie over, the ghost-type happily taking her place in my poofy hair.

"_So, you gonna ask Marie out on a date?" _Viggo asked nonchalantly as we left our room.

"I'll ask her if she wants to take a rain check," I said. "We're gonna be travelling a lot, and until I get a flying-type or flying team member, I won't be mobile enough for it."

"_It's like you're shooting for one of those harems from a harem anime…" _the jackal-like Pokémon narrowed his eyes at me. "_You aren't shooting for-"_

"Yes, I would like to have my own harem, V. In fact, every normal red-blooded human boy would love that…" I snorted at the fighting-type's incredulous look. "Doesn't mean that it's gonna happen. It's an impossibility...also, when did you watch a harem anime?"

"_Rowan once put one on by accident…"_

"OK, I'm fixing that," I pulled up the Pokédex and pressed a few buttons. "I've got all 7 completed parts of Jojo on here, that'll be a good influence for you."

"_...Jojo? What is that and why am I concerned about it?"_

"Oh boy, Jojo...I can't possibly describe it in words," I rounded a nearby corner and moved to the stairs leading to the lobby. "But it has a lot of fighting and fabulous posing."

"_Posing, huh?" _Viggo jumped from my shoulder and followed me down the stairs. "_Maybe I'll give it a try...I mean, I might like it better than Gurren Lagann. Who knows?"_

"Ooh, Gurren Lagann was pretty-"

"_You only watched it because of Yoko, didn't you?"_

"Don't judge me!" I chuckled at Viggo's exasperated look. "You'll understand when you evolve, V."

"_Please buy me an everstone then."_

I stared at my starter blankly, then we both broke out into a short laugh.

"I'll get you one for training. I think you get stronger if you hold back your evolution, but I can't make any promises," I turned my head to the front desk. "Hey look, it's Officer Jenny. Guess I should tell her we're heading off, in case she wants any last minute witness testimony."

I held a hand up as a smile spread across my face. "Hey, Officer Jenny!" the mint-haired woman turned to me as I walked over. "Yo, I thought I'd come and check on things before we headed out."

"Jareth, right? There's not much more I need from you, if that's what you're wondering," Jenny gave Nurse Joy a solemn look. "I assume that Slowbro's trainer was informed?"

"Yes, he was utterly devastated over what happened," the nurse wiped her nose to prevent a sniffle-fit. "It's still so shocking that all of that was happening under our noses…"

I set the mint-haired woman with a questioning look. "What's going to happen now? I mean, what if Darkrai comes back?"

"Well, if he does by an off chance, I made sure to put in a call to the league. They have people who specialize in handling situations like this," Jenny cupped a hand to her chin in thought. "I think they have people with their own Legendary Pokémon to call in specific situations like this."

"Now I'm imagining an Articuno giving him a hard time," I snorted at the mental image.

"I have to wonder why you're not worried," Officer Jenny gave me a concerned look. "I mean, he did say he was gonna get you right before he flew off."

"I punched him two times in the face and sicced an angry dragon on him," I said cheerfully. "And if everything works out for me, I'll have more than enough dragons to finish the job," I pulled Professor Oak's package out and tilted it around. "Besides, I have to get this to Blackthorn by the end of the week. I can't let some edgy boi scare me off from that."

"Fair enough...still, are you sure you'll be alright by yourself young man?" the mint-haired woman wagged a finger at me. "That Legendary is after you, I'd be worried if I were by myself like you."

I snorted at the policewoman. "I'm not by myself though. I've got these two all the time," I patted Maggie on the head and scritched Viggo behind his ears. "I think we'll be fine on our own," I replaced the special package from Oak back in my bag and moved to leave.

"Jareth!" I turned back to see one of the twin mini-Joys running towards me.

I could barely articulate a response before the girl curled her arms around me and planted a kiss on my cheek. I fought down a blanch when I heard her cousin make a strangled noise from the counter. When the pinkette pulled away, I went bug-eyed once I noticed which of the two it was.

"M-Mary? But I thought that-"

"I said that I still thought you were cute, regardless of the obvious," the girl snorted at my bewildered look. "Also, it's thanks for saving me from Darkrai. Feel free to make of it what you will~"

"EH?! That's not fair Sis! I was the one that did the whole faking my own death thing!" Marie cried out as she ran towards her sister. "You can't just spring that on me! I saw him first."

"That's debatable," the girl snarked to her sister.

Throughout the ensuing argument, I realized that I couldn't hold in the question I had always wanted to ask.

"Hey!" the two girls paused and turned to face me. "I've been meaning to ask...do you guys reproduce through mitosis?"

Both the twins stared at me like I had grown a second head, before speaking as one. "Wat?!"

"Does every Nurse Joy come about by splitting apart from all the others?" I continued, sending the girls a bright smile. "I'd be over_joyed _to finally get an answer."

There was almost a full minute of silence before the twins and their cousin suddenly burst out in laughter. I could see Officer Jenny gaping at the scene before shaking her head in exasperation.

"Alright, that was...unexpected," Mary wiped a tear from her eye. "Thank you for the laugh too...please, take care of yourselves."

I sent the two a bright smile. "Relax, Viggo will take care of me just fine."

"_Wait, what?!"_

"V, we've both accepted that you're my babysitter by now," I waved to the twins as we walked out.

"_The fact that you need me to babysit you says a lot...on the other hand, you have a better sense of direction than I do." _

"I suppose I do," I waited several minutes after we had finally hit the main road to Blackthorn before speaking again. "So...can you tell me what your history with Darkrai is?"

The fighting-type let out a tired sigh. "_There's a lot to unpack there...I can give you the bare minimum of what happened to lead up to it," _the jackal-like Pokémon looked forward with a hard stare. "_Over a year ago, I was living in Sinnoh's Lucario Kingdom. That's where I was born, that's where I've lived my whole life."_

"Every region has their own Lucario Kingdom...Kanto has Rota, actually."

"_You mean the one where Sir Aaron was? I heard that he...no, sorry, getting off track," _Viggo shook his head to tame his inner fanboy. "_I...I was taken from my home, by these creepy scientist guys, because of how unique I am. I don't think I really trusted anybody in a lab coat after that until I met rowan. I got away from them, but I was stuck on the streets," _I cringed when I heard the fighting-type choke up. "_I...I went from town to town, eating off scraps when I could find them. I'd have trainers try to catch me too, but I always made it clear that I wasn't interested." _

"That...sounds horrible," I patted my starter on the head sympathetically. "When did you meet Darkrai?"

"_That was in this one town I showed up in...one of the trainers there was really nice, she actually tried to get me to trust her before catching me," _the fighting-type clenched his fists. "_I failed her. I failed everybody in that town. I could sense Darkrai, but by the time I figured it out, it was too late. I couldn't even chase him off, he mopped the floor with me and made me watch as he destroyed everything." _

"So you've been at odds with that specific Darkrai ever since?"

"_I'd only fought him twice before last night, but yeah. I wasn't strong enough to handle him before, and I had no idea what I was doing…" _Viggo looked up to me with thankful eyes. "_This time, I...I remembered all the stuff you told me. Like, using Vacuum Wave to remove Haze, using Mind Reader to make sure my attack hit, I even did the thing with Bullet Punch. I wouldn't have figured any of that out if you never told me about those strategies." _

"All the more reason to learn Swords Dance," I said cheerfully, hauling the blue fighting-type into the air. "Next time Darkrai shows up, he's not gonna have it any easier than the last time. Especially since we'll definitely have more firepower then."

"_Oh, you think you'll actually have a Dragonite by that point?" _Viggo chuckled as I gave him some ear scritches.

"Nah, best I'll have is a Gyarados. Even Legendary Pokémon don't wanna go up against one of those," I sat the fighting-type on my shoulder as I cupped a hand to my chin. "Speaking of which, I was thinking about trying to get a Lugia. No way he could go up against that."

"_HAHAHA! You think you could get a Lugia?!" _the jackal-like Pokémon chortled at me deadpan look. "_Good luck! I think there's a law that says you can't catch them without their consent anyway."_

"Maybe, but I could manage it," I flashed my starter a goofy smile. "I'm sure I have enough charisma to get a Lugia on board. Maybe a Rayquaza if I really tried hard."

"_BWAHAHAHAH! Okay, that's a good one! Thanks for cheering me up boss," _the fighting-type smacked his leg as he regained his breath. "_How long till we get to Blackthorn?"_

"About a day and a half now, bud, and that's only if we pick up the pace."

"_Then full speed ahead! We're burning daylight!"_

"Pfft, alright, I'll get a move on you freeloader," I said, patting Viggo's head as I continued walking. "You know, by this point my upper body strength must be through the roof...I should probably get in some more leg exercises…"

* * *

**And with that, our heroes continue their journey...regardless of the deranged nightmare monster that wants to drain away their life force. Now that they're finally en route to the City of Dragons, hopefully they can finally deliver Oak's package. Just how will they deal with Darkrai's warning?** **Will Jareth finally catch his coveted Magikarp? What awaits our young protagonist in Blackthorn city? Tune in next time to find out.**

* * *

**Trainer Name: Jareth (No Surname ATM)**

**Pokémon team:**

**Viggo (Riolu):**

**Known moves: Aura Sphere, Screech, Quick Attack, Force Palm, Shadow Claw, Bullet Punch, Mind Reader, Meteor Mash, Blaze Kick, Vacuum Wave, High Jump Kick.**

**Maggie (Misdreavus):**

**Known moves: Astonish, Confuse Ray, Psywave, Telekinesis, Sucker Punch, Ominous Wind, Screech, Spite, Nasty Plot, Shadow Sneak, Curse, Memento, Psychic, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave.**

**Calypso/Callie (Horsea):**

**Known moves: Bubble, Smokescreen, Leer, Water Gun, Dragon Rage. **

* * *

**Yes, Darkrai will be a reccurring antagonist every now and then. No, Jareth isn't going to catch him, and I don't actually have any plans of giving him Mythical/Legendary ****Pokémon right off the bat. He's gonna have a bit of a normal lineup, even when he gets to the ****Pokémon League, but by Johto I might see what I can do with that. ****Alright, now to get to some of our reviews.**

**coldblue2015: Viggo already has Aura, by virtue of being apart of his evolution line. Jareth, on the other hand, is gonna try to train with Aura because he wants to understand his** **Pokémon. There aren't any Stands from Jojo showing up...but, as an homage to Ashes of The Past, Viggo is gonna be a Jojo nut like Squirtle is a Gurenn Lagann nut. Maggie and Viggo having so many moves is due to breeding, specifically all their egg moves. Maggie only used her own for pranks, so she never really had the chance to use Spite or Curse on people (yes, she actually swears when using Curse). That'll change since Jareth can figure out a way to use these to their fullest. Team Rocket, specifically Butch and Cassidy, are going to show up next chapter. I already know exactly how Jareth will deal with people who want to steal his pets, and it's exactly how I would do it too. **

**Vail Ryuketsu: ReroReroReroRero!**

**Freelook: *Single tear streams down cheek as "Carry On" plays in the background***

**Bloobat: That's exactly why the story is here...Necrozma. *sped up Ultra Necrozma theme plays* **

**Thank you for reading and reviewing, please leave any thoughts, questions, and constructive c****riticism in your reviews.**


	5. Bergentrückung

**As an undead serial killer trapped in a golden rabbit suit once 'said', I am still here. I've also figured out something for how the story is gonna work...in relation to Jareth's first _actual _dragon-type. You'll see it at the end of this chapter.**

**Thank you to followers and favoriters: Phillips455, Alligator9, Rasengan89, PotaroReader, narutohuga, noobarta, DarkXeroYO, lange912, saisais, salomjesus3, NoxNightKing, Gelly Bean 27, il2swim57, Vixter9339, digmon3, WaffleMan19, Door Kun, overmind99, Orcinus21, UxoriousBark, TricksterFox66V1, cybresamurai, arkill, Conchamp1998, Shortmike24, IGetWierdMessages, alfrex9915, redfange, kingcarl, fanficmaniac94, T. Kirk, Qwertypip, The Page Master Eternal, Shadowhunter0401, arthuranna, Fabricator General Thres'ri, Bman66, bwlchck, Alphajaguar, Hyochi Nagara, Venomous dragons bite, vigilante14, Tgm102, Argaen Shadow Crow, colboltdragon, weaponkn0wer, r3d3v3, wakfu321, all lonely, DarkphantomX, mobster21, Rashuu, Francisl13, Jollyreader23, nut in the hut, Teile Eliet, BlindAsABat95, akasharavind, snowleopard314, ElDaniWar, HarunoWolf17, Unlimited Cookie Works, rroos1600, sachin6291, steelthewolf90, icecicle16, Chairman MaoKai, Patches9812, Srikar. a, LadyRafaela, DarkSecretPerson, Trueswipe, NeroShawn, Taihooo, Dino Otter, MooMantheCrazy, zechj471, ToxicQuicksilver, RavenRoth70, exeafirm, eeveelutionlover2000, Night-Owl123, RealEWF, Jeanne D'Arc My Waifu, knockoff, Eldine, fireball724, def3nstrator, Obristol, gnabrayed, Captain- Awesome-Milambar, t3p4, Rake1810, anthonyabc268, yvonne. eevee22, jeanpaul2743, Fire's son3, enyalio, BloodDraconius, Hellhound monster girl, firelordzx5, TheQueen'sKnight, Fatalnightshade, ****Cheetahpelt1, tjmrocks19, Everpeach, **** FoxInTheMoonlight, RavenCarver, MagicWarriorDragon, Drago9082, Mikaso, myvividreams, Self Aware BG, ncread, Honored Wolf, imaginationxfantasma, Benny Farr, and Carrington.**

**Dialogue format:**

"Talking"

"_Pokédex speaking_" (has normal quotation marks but italic speech)

_"Telepathy" _(everything in italics!)

* * *

**In an unfortunate turn of events, our heroes found themselves face to face with a deranged and dangerous Darkrai, a species of Pokémon known to cause nightmares. While they were able to fend it off, his escape could spell ill tidings for the future. But now, it seems our group is nearing the one and only Blackthorn City after three whole chapters. Just what awaits their path now?**

* * *

(Play: Route 29 music, Heart Gold/Soul Silver)

"Ah, this is nice! Just take in that deep mountain air. It's just as heady and bracing as chesto berry wine...I don't know how I know that, but it's probably a good comparison."

***Snore***

"Oh, right…" I turned to the blue fighting-type slung over my left shoulder. "I mean, I did say to take a break, bud. Doing 100 pushups, sit ups, and squats all in one go isn't healthy, especially through the whole night."

***Snore***

"Yeah, just sleep it off bud," I patted my starter on the head and slowed my pace just a bit, tilting my head over to the little ghost floating by my head. "I'm kinda surprised you're up...I thought you were nocturnal. What's up with you, Mag?"

I saw the little witch's expression falter as she let out a low huff. She turned to me with glowing purple eyes, and suddenly the world around me shifted. I was quickly treated to a vision of a dark creature with a fog-like head and a single blue eye gleaming maliciously.

"So you're afraid of Darkrai, huh?" I gave the little ghost-type a soft smile as the illusion faded. "Relax, he probably flew off into the mountains. I bet the creep is miserable due to-"

Maggie once again activated confuse ray, this time showing me the days old vision of Callie using Dragon Rage on the deranged dark-type. My eyes widened as a thought occurred to me.

"You're scared of...Callie?"

"Dre…"

"Ok, what is it?" I grimaced as the ghost showed me a vision of Darkrai being burned to a crisp, the vision suddenly being covered by an 'X' mark, then a question mark, before everything faded back to normal. "You're wondering why I didn't let Callie kill Darkrai?"

Maggie nodded fervently. "Dre, Dre!"

I glanced to Viggo nervously for a second before letting out a small sigh. "Hey, Maggie...if I ordered you to kill something or someone, would you do it?" I quirked an eyebrow at the ghost-type's shocked expression. "Yeah, I figured that'd be the reaction. If I were to take a guess, you and the other two would trust me so much if I did order you guys to do that," I rubbed the back of my neck with my right hand and looked up in thought. "I know Pokémon do that in the wild, if it's a predator/prey thing, and sometimes just for self defense...but most trainers aren't ok with that."

Maggie narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Dre? Dre!"

I cringed at my ghost's skeptical gaze. "Yeah, ok...there's a bit more to it. There was this one guy who had to take out a Passimian to defend himself. Unfortunately, the media didn't see it like that, and now he has to practically live in hiding," I gave Maggie a stern gaze. "Humans hate people that kill Pokémon. The media really lays in on thick about how much of a monster you are if so much as kick a Rattata, even if it's just bitten your leg off. I'm not joking about that, I've actually looked it up to make sure."

"D-Dre…"

"Plus, there's less than 100 Darkrai in existence. That would look _really _bad, even if the one we met is eating people. I'm just a kid who wants to catch all the dragons, I don't wanna have to hide in a hole because some jerks on the news said that I'm a murderer, and I don't want you guys to have to deal with that too," I glanced to the sleeping fighting-type as he stirred just a bit in his sleep. "Yeah, a bunch still have their partners kill in self defense, but they get stigma from it...let's just say _one guy _did, and is still doing, things that are really bad, and anybody who kills Pokémon even in self defense get compared to him."

"Dre…" Maggie looked at me in concern.

"So, yeah I got a bit worried that people would look at me like I'm a psychopath...even the twins," a short huff escaped my lips. "I know it seems shallow, but I have a bit of issues with how people see me...probably since I never had any parents, and I've had a lot of people 'point' that out in various ways," I felt like spitting those last words.

"Dreeee," the ghost-type floated back into her spot on my head, rubbing her face against my forehead placatingly.

"T-Thanks Mag, I really appreciate it…"

"Dre, Dre," I saw Maggie's face at the top of my vision just as a sly grin spread across her face. "Dre, Dre Dre Dreee."

"OK, I think I've figured out that you're talking about Valerie...just wish I knew what," I blinked in shock when I realized what had just happened. "Huh, that's the first time I've had a sort of conversation with you without Viggo translating."

"_Shehe! Whwa? Whoosa talkin' bout me?!"_

"Hey, Shush. Maggie was just communicating with me through Confuse Ray," I patted the fighting-type on the head. "You can go back to sleep bud."

"_Can't sleep...need to train...get better at punchin'..." _

"V, we can train all we want when we get to Blackthorn."

"_Wait, wha?!"_

"We're almost there after all," I gave the sleepy Riolu a smirk before turning forward. "I think I'm making a bit more progress on this Aura thing. We should be able to get some time in after we finish this delivery."

"_Yay…"_

"Then I can see if the Blackthorn Clan would be willing to part with a Dratini. I could ask nicely, or I could ask if they have some big test to do."

"_Prolly a test...I think Aura Guardians have some test too," _the fighting-type tilted his head and sniffed the air. "_Sumthin' smells funny…" _

"It's probably nothing. Might just be some nesting flying-types or something-"

***BANG***

***POOOOF***

"_AAAGHH! The hell?!" _Viggo immediately jumped from my shoulder, standing in front of me with his paws raised in front of his face. "_That was an explosion!"_

I let out a cough as smoke billowed in front of us. "Yeah, I'm guessing a smoke bomb."

"_...Oh, yeah there is smoke."_

"Oh, I'd certainly say there is!" a voice called out from the smoke.

(Play: Team Rocket Motto!)

I stared in awe as the smoke gave way to two figures dressed in black uniforms with a red 'R' emblazoned on their chests. "Oh...oh no…"

"Oh yessss!" the masculine figure called out, accompanied by laughter from his female companion.

"Prepare for trouble…"

"...And make it double!"

"Here's our mission, so you better listen!" they both cried out, pointing my way.

"To infect the world with devastation!"

"To blight all people in every nation!"

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Cassidy!" the blonde woman cried out, making a flirtatious twirl as she smirked at us sadistically.

"And Butch, of course!" Not-James called out, flipping the bangs of his green hair as he sneered at us.

"We're Team Rocket™, circling the earth all day and night!"

"Surrender to us now, or you will surely lose this fight!"

"RATICATE!" the rat-like Pokémon that appeared between the two sent us a deranged grin as the criminals posed behind it.

I was completely silent for the ensuing several seconds. I mean, there was a lot to unpack here, and I didn't think words could properly describe it. On one hand, I had just been threatened with poetry and interpretive dance...on the other, I felt _really _nostalgic the moment I heard the Rocket motto roll into the air.

Luckily, Viggo could actually speak without nostalgia blinding him.

"_Holy shit! I can't believe it!"_

The two Rocket agents beamed menacingly as the fighting-type stared at them in awe.

"_I never thought I'd see a gay pride parade in real life! This is so cool!" _

I was pulled out of my nostalgia shock when both criminals face-vaulted at my starter's declaration. I looked to the jackal-like Pokémon and set him with a stern gaze.

"Viggo, that's not very nice!"

The Rocket agents looked up hopefully.

"I mean, that's just insulting to gay people. Not even the campiest gay man would wear _that _shade of black, it really clashes with the white and red."

"HEY! I'll have you know that our uniforms are some of the most stylish in the underworld!" Not-James cried out as he jumped back to his feet. "None of that matters though! This is a stick up!"

"_Stick up...wait, what?" _Viggo turned to me in confusion. "_Are these guys robbing us?!"_

"I believe so. Team Rocket is actually a very large and powerful criminal organization, one that has caused a lot of problems in the Kanto and Johto regions," I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "I heard about them on the news a lot. These guys are the reason Oak had to give me and those other two guys different starters that weren't the traditional three. I guess I should be thanking them for-"

"You can start _thanking _us by handing over all your Pokémon!" Not-Jessie yelled, pointing straight at my starter. "Why don't you give us that one first? A talking Pokémon will get us a big paycheck."

"...You...you don't want my wallet? You know, the thing that has all my money?"

"Why in the world would we want your money?" Not-James said blithely.

...How are these guys still criminals? WHY are these guys still criminals?! They could just take my cash instead, but they're trying to steal my pets. This doesn't make sense!

I let out a small sigh and walked forward. "Y'know what, sure. Lemme just get everything sorted out."

"...Wait, really?!" Not-James stared at me in shock.

"_REALLY?!"_

"Yeah, hang on! I just gotta fish out all their Pokéballs," I walked until I was directly in front of the green-haired man. "Then we can move on with the mugging."

"_I...I can't believe this...you're just gonna give us away?! You're not even gonna fight back?!"_

Inwardly, I smirked. If I had let Viggo in on my plan, it probably wouldn't work at all...but I did feel kinda bad for fooling him like this.

"Alright, let's see here...hey," I looked back to Not-James. "Could you look down for a bit? It's important."

"Look down?" the green-haired Rocket agent tilted his head towards the ground. "Why would I need to do tha-"

***FWOOSH***

***CRAAAACK***

Not-James let out a pained wheeze and fell back to the ground, clutching his groin. Beside us, Not-Jessie stared in absolute shock. From behind me, I could hear a sympathetic groan from the blue fighting-type.

"You...You kicked him in the balls!"

I turned to the blonde with a confused look. "Well, yeah, I think it's pretty clear what just happened."

"You...you can't do that!" Not-Jessie shrieked. "That's not how it's supposed to work! We're supposed to get into a Pokémon battle, and then we beat your Pokémon and steal them. You can't just kick people in the balls!"

I let out a long bout of laughter at the woman. "W-Why would I do that?! Hahaha! You...you guys just threatened me through poetry and interpretive dance and told me to give you my friends," I sniggered and sent the blonde a deranged smirk. "You guys are _criminals_, you aren't supposed to play fair. I'm just answering in kind."

"Kicking people in the balls isn't 'answering in kind' you twerp!"

"No u," I said cheerfully.

Not-Jessie growled angrily. "Alright tough guy, if you think you've got everything figured out, then take this," the blonde held her arm out. "Raticate, Tackle!"

I quickly jumped back as the large rat charged for me. "Viggo, a little help?"

"_Huh?! Oh, umm…" _the jackal-like Pokémon stared between me and the rat in confusion. "_Sorry, I'm still a bit sleepy...confused...and just off in general…"_

"Oh Helix...it's a normal-type, you're a fighting type. Hit him with Drain Punch."

"_Drain Pun-Oh!" _the fighting-type snorted as the Raticate made another charge towards me. "_Yeah, that'll probably work."_

Viggo slowly ambled forward and groggily raised one of his paws. While he was still sluggish, he was able to place himself in front of the Mouse Pokémon just before it was too close. In an instant, his fist became surrounded by green and yellow energy, and he quickly powered it towards the rat's face.

Raticate was thrown backwards by the super-effective attack and his own change in momentum. Viggo, immediately after landing his punch, jolted back in shock as energy poured into him.

"_Woah! Hot damn, I feel like I could run across the entire ocean," _the fighting-type looked back to his paw. "_Why don't I use that move more often?" _my starter frowned and turned back to me. "_You weren't actually gonna-"_

"V, I kicked the guy _right _in the balls. You already know the answer to that question."

"_Fair enough," _the starter turned to see Raticate shakily standing to its feet. "_He's pretty tough…"_

"Gonna fix that right now," I patted my ghost-type on the head. "Maggie..._scare…_" I pointed to Not-Jessie with a knowing grin.

Maggie lit up not unlike a child would when christmas had come, her moe eyes widening in happiness. The ghost-type quickly disappeared in a flash of shadow. From the corner of my eye, I saw Not-Jessie calling out to her Raticate in desperation.

"Get up! We need to handle this twerp!"

"_**Hehehehe…"**_

"Hmmm?" the blonde turned to see a shadowy figure with a gaunt, skeletal face, blood-red eyes and fangs.

"**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Pfft, this is why she's so damn cute," I said happily.

"_That's just hilarious," _Viggo snorted as the blonde ran straight up a nearby tree, then he turned to the rat Pokémon with a wild smirk. "_Hey, rat! You ever hear of the move Vacuum Wave?"_

"Raticate?!" the Mouse Pokémon gaped at the fighting-type in confusion. "R-Rati-"

***THWWWWWOOOOOOOWWWWMM***

***CRAAACK***

Raticate was thrown back by the massive pulse of compressed air, his back slamming directly into a nearby boulder. The fat mouse slumped to the ground with a pained groan and swirly eyes characteristic of fainted Pokémon.

"So, I'm assuming you don't have anything else to throw at me?" I called up to the blonde in the tree.

"You...little...twerp…" my attention shifted to Not-James as he stood up shakily. "I'll...get you...for this...Mankey, you-AAGH!" the green-haired man clutched his groin in pain. "How can a twerp kick so hard…"

"I'm 13 actually...and I never skip leg day," I shook my head as Not-James fell to his knees once again. "Maybe I went overboard...but you guys _did _just order me to give you my friends, so my pitty well kinda bottomed out."

"Che, f-fine then twerp!" Not-Jessie nervously climbed out of the tree she had ran up and held a Pokéball towards the downed rat, returning it in a flash of red light. "Y-You won't get away with this! T-Team Rocket™ won't be beaten that easily!"

"Do you have to say 'trademark' everytime you say your team name? Also, I can't take you seriously when you're still shaking from Astonish," I snorted at the woman's deranged glare.

"We w-won't forget this! Come on Butch, t-time for Team Rocket™ to blast off!" Not-Jessie grabbed her partner and booked it as fast as she could. "S-Sleep with one e-eye open from now on, t-twerp!"

"NO, U!" I called out as they left. "Seriously, those guys didn't even try to steal my wallet when I brought it up. Worst criminals ever."

"_I...you said they stole most of the regular starters, right?" _Viggo blinked in confusion when I nodded. "_How though? You kicked that one guy in the balls and he folded like that."_

"They probably aren't prepared for the trainers themselves fighting back...also, I think they had _way _more people when they robbed the breeding centers for the starters," I held a hand to my cheek in thought. "Although, they didn't _actually_ rob the breeding centers."

"_Wait, what?"_

"Yeah, officially they only _supposedly_ robbed the breeding centers. We don't have any evidence that they did it."

"_...But, we know they did it."_

"Yeah, we _know _they did it...we just can't prove it."

"_That's ridiculous!"_

"No V, that's how the mafia works," I lifted the blue fighting-type back onto my shoulder. "Come on, we're almost at Blackthorn City. Then we can finally deliver this package, I can try to get a Dratini, and we can be on our way to steamroll the gyms back home in Kanto."

"_Oh yeah, we're gonna steamroll through __**all **__the gyms? Be real!"_

"The nearest gym in Kanto that'll be open to the public is a rock-type gym. That's a damn cake walk just waiting for us…"

* * *

"_...I don't have words."_

"You don't have to say anything, V," I took a deep breath as I tilted my head to the sign nailed into a nearby tree. "Just...beautiful…"

'_WELCOME TO BLACKTHORN! A QUIET CITY STANDING AMONG THE MOUNTAINS!' _

"_Well...I mean, it does have a nice mountainy setting, I guess…" _the fighting-type shook his head before looking at the nearby city. "_It's just...it feels kinda...old, that's the word I'm looking for. I can see a bunch of buildings that have this medieval style look going for them, and there's a lot of spots where there's no buildings at all," _the jackal-like Pokémon scratched his head. "_It just seems more like those old towns back in Sinnoh. Sure, I can see a few new buildings at the center, but they kinda seem out of place."_

"That just makes the city look more rustic...also, it helps with all the 'dragon-type' vibes they want to give off," I patted my starter on the head before walking forward. "Come on, we should find a member of the Blackthorn Clan and-"

"**RAAARWWWWWWWWWWRRRRR!"**

"Eh?!" I quickly froze mid step and turned around. "The fuck was that?!"

"_If I had to guess...probably a dragon-type or something-"_

***KABOOM***

"...Ok, that doesn't sound good," I quickly placed myself in front of my starter and pulled my ghost-type into a protective hug. "Let's just move along quietly-"

"HEY YOU!"

"_GREATBELLSOFARCEUS!"_

"SWEETMOTHEROFHELIXONTHEHOODOFAMERCEDESBENZ!"

After Viggo and I had landed from our startled jumps, I turned to face the person who started it.

"Officer Jenny, please don't ever do that again…"

"AHA! So you know my name, without even hearing it," the teal-haired woman glared at me fiercely and pointed at me. "You're a Pokémon thief!"

"...Wut?!"

"Admit it, you steal Pokémon!"

"_Ma'am, none of us were kidnapped...well, I wasn't kidnapped by him," _the fighting-type pointed to me and shrugged. "_I'm mostly tagging along willingly, I promise."_

"...Did that Riolu just talk?" the officer gaped at me owlishly.

"No, he used telepathy," I tilted my head in thought. "As for how I know your name...you do realize all new trainers get pamphlets, right?" I pulled out a small brochure of sorts and opened to a certain page. "See, right here! There's this part that goes into detail about all the Joys and Jennys, and how they all have the same name and look alike-"

"Alright, I get it!" the teal-haired woman held a hand up. "Not Pokémon thieves, got it. Why are you here then?"

"Oh, right!" I quickly replaced the pamphlet and pulled out Prof. Oak's package. "I have this thing I need to deliver for Prof. Oak by the end of the month. Any Idea where to hand it in?"

"Well, for starters, you can't go too far into the city right now."

"_Why the hell not?"_

"Did he just swear?!"

"Yeah, he does that...also, why the hell not?" I let out a small snort at the woman's sweatdrop.

"**RAAARWWWWWWWWWWRRRRR!"**

"Well, that would be the main reason," Officer Jenny said tiredly. "I mean, it happens at least once a year, and we're always more than prepared, but still…"

"I...what is it?"

"A Gyarados, that's what it is," the teal-haired woman shook her head. "In order for new members of the Blackthorn Clan to have a Dratini, they need to have a Gyarados, one that's completely brought to heel. It could take years to fully train one, and the first year is full of rampages," Jenny clicked her teeth as a loud boom sounded out. "Sometimes they just can't keep them contained. We've dealt well enough though."

"_...You guys live in a city filled with people who own GYARADOS?!" _Viggo cried out. "_And your reaction to 'Gyarados rampage' is just that it's a small town quirk?!"_

"Yeah, pretty much. It's pretty nice during spring."

"_Did you ever think of moving to somewhere SAFER?!" _

"...why would I do that?"

"_Because then you don't have to deal with GYARADOS RAMPAGES?!"_

"I'm one of the only 3 Jennys that could stomach a Gyarados rampage bud," the officer snorted at the fighting-type's incredulous look.

"Right, so...how would I go about getting into the city?" I asked nervously.

"Wait until the Gyarados stops raging," the teal-haired woman flinched as another roar resounded through the mountains. "Should be over by the end of the month."

"Of course it's gonna take a month…" I muttered angrily.

"Whose it made out to? Maybe I can get it to them in between runs."

"Ah right, never checked that actually...hang on, just-" my eyes widened as I finally caught sight of the package label. "Awww...crap baskets…"

"_What, what's wrong?"_

"It says it's to be delivered to Lance...or Clair, if Lance isn't around."

Officer Jenny winced as I said this. "Oof, that's rough…"

"_Wait, I'm confused. Who are they?"_

"Clair is the Gym Leader of Blackthorn Gym. Lance is…" I cringed and rubbed the back of my head. "Lance is the current Champion of the Indigo/Silver League, and he practically represents the Blackthorn Clan to the public."

"Well, obviously I can't bring you to Lance anytime soon," the teal-haired woman said.

"Alright then, what about Clair?"

"Well...she's kinda busy-"

"**RAAARWWWWWWWWWWRRRRR!"**

***KABOOM***

"I think it should be pretty obvious why…"

"Right, rampaging Gyarados...is the Pokémon Center open?"

* * *

"A rampaging what?!"

"Gyarados! Didn't I say that before?" I snorted as the two pinkettes puffed up their cheeks and glared at me through the screen. "Relax, I'll try to stay away from it."

"Keyword being 'try' we're guessing."

"That's another thing I forgot to ask. Are you guys actually psychic or-"

"We're not, we've just been around you long enough to figure out how your brain works," Marie sent me a deadpan glare. "You better promise not to do something crazy, like sucker punching a rampaging Gyarados. I can't even believe you pulled it off on Darkrai, but Gyarados? We'd be giving out eulogies...and they wouldn't be that long, which is kinda depressing."

"The only reason you even got one on Darkrai was because you confused him!" Mary interjected, putting a hand to her chin in thought. "On the other hand, I realized that telling people you're gonna 'do them a fuck' is pretty fun to say if they're being jerks."

"_If you need to hit somebody, go for the Solar Plexus!"_

"He's right, they go down faster that way," I noticed the two girls staring at me in confusion and turned to look behind myself. "Hey, what's with the stares?!"

"Is he saying anything? I don't think we'd be able to hear it…"

"_What?! You mean my telepathy doesn't work through machines?!"_

"I kinda figured that was the case bud," I patted the fighting-type behind the ears. "He said that people go down faster if you hit them in the Solar Plexus...I'm guessing from personal experience."

"Ri, Ri…"

"Sweet Helix, he talked!"

"...Yeah, I guess he did."

"_Wait, what?! I talk all the time."_

"Not with Pokémon speak, no. They've only heard telepathy."

"_I...when we were in the inn, was I just completely silent?"_

I quickly relayed the question, to which both girls nodded. "Yeah, he was pretty quiet. We were a bit worried...then he started 'talking', which was an entirely different can of wurmple."

"_I feel like I might have an existential crisis over this. I must have looked so creepy…" _

"Eh, I never really noticed...maybe because your voice was constantly invading my head-"

"**RAAARWWWWWWWWWWRRRRR!"**

"And there's that asshole's voice invading my calls!" I growled.

"You sure you should swear in a Pokémon Center?"

"The only other person here besides me is related to you. I'm guessing it's empty because of the rampaging water dragon outside."

"Hey, be careful alright," Marie said nervously. "Neither of us want to hear that you ended up in the hospital, or worse."

"Please, I may be crazy but I have limits," I tilted my head at the side of the monitor. "Hmm, the timer thingy is saying that I'm almost out of minutes."

"Pfft! Timer thingy?"

"So I'm not smart enough to know the technical names of this stuff, sue me! I need to figure out a way to deliver this package anyway."

***KABOOM***

"Good luck getting past all that," Mary quipped. "Seriously though, stay safe!"

"I'll do my best, thanks! Have a good afternoon girls," I sent the pinkettes a short wink before ending the call. "Alright, let's go grab Callie and-"

"CATERPIE!"

"Hmm?" I turned my head to see my water-type menacing a poor Caterpie. "Aww shit! Callie, don't do that!"

**Several minutes later**

"Thank Helix we didn't get kicked out of the Pokémon Center!" I pulled out a bag of slowpoke jerky and handed several pieces to the water-type. "You don't eat other tamed Pokémon, it's just not something you do."

"Dre, Dre!" Maggie agreed, wagging a tendril at the dragon to chide her.

"If you wanna really help with food, you can always help me fish by chasing Basculin into the nets."

The water-type froze in my arms and gave me a distressed look. "S-Sea? Sea, Horsea!"

"Ok, you're right, they're a bit bigger than you are...actually, I might need to make sure my fishing license is renewed one of these days," I put a hand to my chin in thought. "Nevermind that! Callie, please don't do that again. If you're hungry, just ask me for some food."

"...Sea?"

"I just fed you? Why do you need food now?"

"_I think I can put it into perspective," _Viggo held a paw up as we walked out of the Pokémon Center. "_See, I know what it's like to live in the wild, constantly fighting for your life. Food is a commodity, and you need to get as much as you can. She just hasn't gotten out of that mindset yet."_

"I could sympathize with that, yeah. I mean, I certainly didn't pull any punches when I dug through the trash-"

"_You dug through trash for food too?!"_

I gave my starter a blank look. "N-No, I dug through the trash for food coupons. Not the same thing obviously, but every cent counted so…"

"_Guess it's sorta the same thing?" _

"Eh, maybe...oh, Officer Jenny!" I spotted the teal-haired woman at the nearby intersection and called out. "Hey, Officer! I had a few questions!"

"Hmm?" the policewoman turned to face me. "Oh, it's you. You're still looking to deliver that package?"

"Well duh! I have to bring it in by the end of the week," I quickly hoisted the water-type onto my shoulder before bringing out the package for inspection. "Though, Prof. Oak never actually told me why it had that time limit…"

The Jenny sighed tiredly. "Listen kid, I don't know if there's gonna be a window in Clair's schedule. Everything has been pretty hectic this week."

"You sure I can't just make a quick delivery? Hand it to her, get a signature and all then, then be on my way?"

"_Didn't you want to ask about getting a Dratini?"_

"Oof, not a chance you'd just _get _a Dratini, especially without a fully trained Gyarados…" Officer Jenny put a finger to her chin in thought. "As for making a quick delivery, you'd have to ask a member of the Blackthorn Clan. They'd have a better idea on what to do there."

"...Do you know where I can find a member of the Blackthorn Clan?"

"Hmm? Uhh, lemme think…" the teal-haired woman scanned the area, lighting up as she pointed at someone several meters away. "That girl over there, she's a member of the clan. Go ahead and ask her, I need to get back to my patro-" the policewoman flinched as her radio went off. "See what I mean? Probably need to cordon off a spot that was Gyaradosed."

"Pffft! Gyaradosed? That's great, I'm gonna start using that," I shook my head before sending the woman a smile. "Thanks again Officer Jenny."

"Don't mention it kid. Take care!"

Viggo and I gave the teal-haired woman a short wave as she hopped on her bike and drove off. Once she had left our field of view, I began walking to where she had pointed before. The water-type in my arms let out a small huff as we moved.

"Lemme guess, you're feeling tired?" I raised a brow at Callie's shrug. "Are you feeling dry?" a bead of sweat dropped down the side of my head as she shrugged again. "You're not getting back in your ball unless you give me a reason other than 'you're bored'. We were just in the Pokémon Center, you're obviously fine if you can try to murder a Caterpie."

"Seeeaaaa…"

"_It's nice that Officer Jenny didn't freak out too much at me talking," _Viggo said blithely. "_I mean, she stopped freaking out after the first several minutes."_

"Yeah, we need to talk about that. You said a bunch of mad scientists are still looking for you, right?" I chewed the inside of my cheek at the fighting-type's nod. "I think you should do the telepathy thing less and talk normally. I know you're that it takes away from how unique you are, but come on V, basic common sense maybe?"

"_Y-Yeah, I get it. I mean, I doubt they'd come this far away from Sinnoh, but_ _I guess it'd be good to be on the safe side," _the jackal-like Pokémon turned to me with a sly grin. "Ri? Ri, Riolu!"

"Haha, very funny, now-" I froze as I finally spotted the member of the Blackthorn Clan the Jenny had pointed me too. "W-Woah…"

I was looking at a blue-haired girl in a school uniform who was around my age. That wasn't actually all that special when you think about it, but her hairstyle and the way she was dressed just seemed really familiar. While I could only see her from behind, it wasn't exactly an unpleasant view.

Viggo saw them as well, and sweatdropped once he caught me staring. "_Ah shit...here we go again…"_

"Ok, this is not like the other times, V," I put a hand to my mouth and checked my breath, before tapping the ghost-type on my head. "I had a shower earlier, right? My hair isn't all messy and whatnot?"

"_That thing? Your hair is always ridiculously poofy, that's just its natural state." _

"Right, right...Ok, I can do this…"

"_You've talked to girls all the time? What's the problem?!"_

"Blackthorn Clan, Viggo! Tames dragons and shit! I'm kinda intimidated," I turned back to the girl several meters away from us. "Besides...uh…"

"_What? What's wrong with her specifically?"_

I cupped a hand to my chin in thought. "Ah, well it's nothing specifically...it's just…" I shook my head quickly. "It's nothing, actually...just me being worried I'll look bad in the eyes of a dragon tamer," I took a few tentative steps forward before briskly walking towards the girl. "Ah, excuse me?!"

There was no response.

"Hey, uh...person with the blue hair?!" I called out. "I kinda need some help!"

This got her attention it seemed, as the moment I was close enough the girl turned to face me, allowing me to get a good look. She was definitely my age, with practically flawless pure white skin, and blood red eyes that stared at me blankly. The girl tilted her head to the side, showing no emotion whatsoever.

It looked like..._her_...wait...how?! There's no weird alien gods walking around trying to destroy cities. And there's definitely _no _old men trying to turn everybody into tang...I think. So how in the hell could my first 'waifu' be in the world of POKÉMON of all places?!

I quickly shelved that line of thought and played my drawn out silence off as being 'lovestruck' by the girl's appearance.

"Ah, s-so...you wouldn't happen to know where Clair is, would you?"

The girl turned back to face the road, not even acknowledging my question. After nearly half a minute of leaving me hanging however, the girl finally answered.

"Clair isn't here…"

"...I can see that," I said, motioning to the area around us. "Uh, I have this package to deliver...I just put it away, gotta pull it out again," I quickly placed my water-dragon gently on the ground before digging into my pack. "It's in here somewhere...Oh, I'm Jareth, by the way," I held my hand out to the girl as she turned to face me again.

The bluenette stared at my hand blankly, before looking back to me with a miniscule amount of confusion marring her blank expression. I felt a bead of sweat dripping down the side of my head as my own face fell.

"You're...you're supposed to shake it," I mimicked the motion of a handshake to the girl while flashing her a bright smile. "Then you introduce yourself. Y'know, everybody does it."

"..."

My smile faltered a bit as my hand dropped. "Or don't shake it, if you're not into that…"

The bluenette ignored me and turned back to the road, red eyes darting around as she scrutinized the area. I nearly facevaulted at her disregard for my existence before backing away slightly, contemplating whether I should just leave and ask for help somewhere else.

"...Rei."

"Hmm? W-What was that?"

"My name is Rei Ayanami...it's nice to meet you..."

So it _was _her! I knew it...wait, again how and why?!

"You said you had a package?" the girl looked at me from the corner of her eye.

"Right...oh, found it!" I triumphantly held up the large oblong box. "So, Prof. Oak gave me this and said I had to bring it to the Blackthorn Clan. I figured it was just some dragon scales or-eh?!" I blinked owlishly as the bluenette snatched the package from my hands.

Rei scrutinized the package, eyes slightly narrowing as she caught the label. "This is made out to Clair or Lance."

"Yes, I think I was made aware of that earlier."

"Lance isn't in the city," the girl handed the package back to me and turned back to the road. "And Clair isn't here."

I felt a vein popping in my forehead. "Yes, I think you said that before. Thank you for being so helpful."

"You are welcome."

"...That was sarcasm by the way," I said in a strained voice. "When I said you were being helpful, I was being sarcastic. 'Cause I still have no idea where to bring this thing."

"Oh...I see…"

"_Good Helix, what is this?" _Viggo telepathically whispered to me.

I leaned towards the fighting-type and hid my mouth. "I think she's one of those kuuderes…that's the opposite of you, where they're cold and emotionless instead of mean."

"Beg your pardon?"

"What? Didn't say anything," I said quickly.

"You said something to your Pokémon…" the bluenette furrowed her brows in confusion. "Why were you talking to your Pokémon?"

"He asked me a question?"

"Ri, Riolu!" the fighting-type nodded ecstatically.

"...You can understand him?"

"Pfft! No, I can't understand a word he says," I flashed the girl a bright smile. "I just know the tone he's using."

"I see…"

"Listen, I get that you're probably here to make sure things aren't Gyaradosed-"

"G-Gyaradosed?"

"But I'd really like to deliver this package, maybe ask Clair some advice on training dragons, and the like," I tilted my head to the side. "I could probably ask you about that, but you don't seem much for conversation…"

"I don't think I'd have much advice to give you," Rei turned back to the road. "As for where Clair probably is-"

"**RAAARWWWWWWWWWWRRRRR!"**

***KABOOM***

"H-Holy shit! That one was really close!" I wheezed out.

"Yes, I would say she is somewhere around _that _specific area."

"Right, I think I'd rather not get _too_ a Gyarados just yet…"

"Perhaps that is for the best," the bluenette tilted her head to me. "It may come somewhat close, based on its current path of destruction. You may be able to speak to Clair then."

"Oh, so just wait then? I think I can do that," I turned my head around to look for a spot to sit, sagging a bit before walking over to a nearby light post and leaning back. "I'll just hang here for a bit then..."

There was a long, tense silence between us that hung in the air, only occasionally broken by the roars of the rampaging Gyarados and its pursuers. I occasionally stared at the girl, always looking away before I was caught. Every now and then, I'd catch her looking at me with a somewhat curious expression, not even looking away if I were to catch her in the act.

It was more than surreal, to be honest. I mean, Rei Ayanami, in the world of Pokémon...as a member of the Blackthorn Clan. Who else from NGE was there? Shinji? Asuka? What, is Kaworu her brother? There aren't even any giant robots to get into, how is this supposed to work?!

What about other cool stuff from weird Anime?

...Are there...Stands? Could I get my own Stand?* There are supposed to be ninjas in Pokémon, right? Is there magical ninjutsu that lets you breathe fire? What kind of mindfuckery is this?!

"_Boss, you alright?"_

I slunk towards the ground and leaned towards the fighting-type. "Yeah, I'm fine bud...just, you know...bracing myself for the long wait," I caught the bluenette staring at me again and tilted my head. "So, you...you're a member of the Blackthorn Clan?"

"I suppose…"

I shrunk a bit as another awkward silence followed. "I was kinda planning to become a dragon master, believe it or not. Any advice you could give me?"

Rei turned back to the road with a short sigh. "It is not something that is _easy_."

"I wouldn't think it was supposed to be," I flinched at the girl's small huff. "Care to elaborate on the specifics?"

"...Weeks or months of basic training."

"F-For me or my Pokémon?"

"Yes."

"Right...well, I'm sure I could handle that!" I stood up with a determined expression. "I made a promise to myself four years ago that I'd get me a Dragonite, no matter how long I had to wait!"

"...Fascinating."

***KABOOM***

"_Ho boy, that doesn't sound very good…"_

I jolted at the sound of cacophony of screams from nearby. "Neither does that…" I quickly stood up and turned my head. "Oh...oh that is bad…"

"What is bad?"

I turned back to Rei with a concerned glance. "Uh, the house over there that's right one fire, with people screaming inside," I pointed out further down the road from the two of us. "That house! Also, the fire is _blue_! Which is usually bad."

"Blue fire…" the bluenette backed away slightly and furrowed her brows. "Dragon-fire…"

"No, I had no idea that it was dragon-fire. This is big news to me."

"Didn't you say-"

"Sarcasm, Rei. I'm guessing you don't experience it often."

"Father and Ritsuko sometimes use it…"

"Ok, questions for later," I quickly called my water-type over. "Do any of your Pokémon know ice-type moves?"

"One...he knows Hail."

"Ah...aww, that's not good," I hoisted Callie into my arms and started towards the burning building. "I'm glad I taught Callie Icy Wind. That might help just a bit-"

"**RAAARWWWWWWWWWWRRRRR!"**

"...That was not far from the house," Rei quickly took a defensive stance while pulling out three Pokéballs. "We should stay here, in case it comes closer. Clair and the others would be able to help-"

"That sounds nice and all, except for the burning building right there," I motioned to the burning home. I flinched as more screams echoed from within the building. "You know, the one with the people in it."

"We have to wait-"

"Why? Why do we have to wait?"

"Because those are my orders," the bluenette raised her voice slightly. The girl turned away with a huff at my incredulous look. "My orders were to watch the road. If the Gyarados came by, my Pokémon and I would hold the line until the others arrived. I would also have to make sure that any civilians were not to be caught in the crossfire," Rei narrowed her blood colored orbs at me. "That includes you."

"Ok, and the burning house?"

"...I was not informed what to do in this specific situation," the girl admitted. "I was told that if I disobeyed orders, I would be reprimanded."

"Why would your dad reprimand you for saving people?"

"My father might not. Ruber would."

"WHO THE FUCK IS RUBER?!"

"That is of no consequence to you. As a member of the Blackthorn Clan of lower stature, I _must _obey his orders."

"...Well, this Ruber guy sounds like a character," I turned to the burning building with a frown. My brows furrowed in thought before a sly grin spread across my face. "Guess I'm going solo then, huh."

"Excuse me? We're supposed to stay put and-"

"No, you're supposed to stay put and wait for backup like a...person that sits and waits for backup. I can go and save those people," I motioned for Viggo to follow me. "I'm _not _a member of the Blackthorn Clan, after all."

"_Don't jinx it or anything, boss!" _the fighting type grumbled as we ran towards the burning building. "_Alright, what's the plan?"_

"I'm gonna break the door down with my foot, Callie will use Icy Wind on all the dragon-fire, and we'll go and lead everybody out."

"_What if we need to carry somebody?"_

"Uh...Maggie, you know Psychic, can you lift more than one person?"

"Dre!" the ghost-type levitated from my hair and nodded furiously. "Dre, Dre!"

"Ok, try not to overexert yourself. I could carry a small child maybe," the two of us skidded to a halt as we stood in front of the door to the building. I gently placed my water-type onto the ground before staring down the door. "Alright...door breaking time!" I made a running start and quickly extended my foot towards the door.

***THWAACCK***

"Haaaaaah! Son of a-mother! AGhh!"

"_What! what happened?!" _

I let out a pained, wheezing laugh as I held my own foot. "My fuckin' foot…my damn toes…"

"_Oooh, I see what's going on. You kicked with your toes instead of the flat of your foot, and that broke your toes. You need to kick with the flat, and you have to do it on the weakest point of the door."_

"Right, right...thank you for clarifying. Hindsight is 20/20 after all," a pained hiss escaped my clenched teeth as I put my injured foot down. "Guess plan B is in effect."

"_P-Plan B? The hell is plan B?"_

"My shoulder."

"_N-No, don't use your shoulder, you might disloca-"_

"HAAAAAAAA!"

***CRAAAAAAAACCCCKKKK***

"Oof!"

"_...Well, you got the door down?" _Viggo noted as he walked over to my downed form. "_How do you feel?"_

"My shoulder fuckin' huuuuurts…"

"_I tried to warn you about hurting your shoulder, you know," _the fighting-type padded forward, flinching once he saw inside the house. "_WOAH! Everything in here is on fire."_

"Dre, Dre!"

"_Ooh, catty."_

"Alright, phase two now in effect…" I groaned out and I lifted myself off the ground. "Callie, use Icy Wind!"

The water-type tilted her head at me in confusion. "S-Sea? Sea, Sea?"

"Everywhere you see blue fire, sweety."

"Seaaaa," the seahorse-dragon nodded before bouncing into the room. The water-type sucked in a hefty amount of air before shooting it back out in a gust of cold wind interspersed with ice-type energy. "SEEEEEEEAAAA!"

The effect was almost instantaneous. The moment the cold wind met the burning heat, the draconic flames faltered and weakened. By the time Calypso had cut the attack short, the dragon-fire was substantially smaller than it had been before.

I walked over to the panting dragon and patted her on the head. "Alright, that should give us enough of a window of time to get everybody out-"

"_Wait, what?! You didn't get rid of the fire?!" _

"V, we're trying to get people out of a burning building. Making sure that the fire isn't an immediate threat is usually a good start," I walked forward with a wince as searing pain spread through my foot. "Shit, that still hurts...alright, lets go and find those people stuck inside."

"_Got anything to say about your injuries?"_

"A Møøse once bit my sister…"

Viggo quickly stopped and gave me a sideways look. "_Wait, what?!"_

* * *

The people stuck in the house were in a different assortment of rooms, many of which were blocked by fire or had fire slowly spreading into them. A few quick bursts of Icy Wind took care of the flames, and grabbing the people was easy...for the most part.

"I ain't leavin', ya can't make me!"

"Grandpa, everything is on fire!" the little girl called up through the attic. "We have to go!"

"I ain't leavin' this here attic! I was born here, and I'll die here!"

"...Was he really born in that attic?" I asked the group in front of me.

"Not really, he just says that about everything people try to pull him out of. Last week he said that about a playground slide," the father of the three children trying to reign in their grandfather sighed as the old man stubbornly held onto the attic rails. The man leaned to the side as he nervously watched my water-type holding off the flames. "Is he gonna be alright?"

"_She_, and she'll be fine. We should be able to get out of here before she gets too dehydrated, then I can find a pool for her or something."

As the family finally wrenched the old man away from his 'birthplace', I noticed the seahorse-dragon was already out of breath. I limped over to her and patted her on the head, lifting her up with my good arm once her last attack dissipated.

"Alright, I think that's everyone. We're headin' out!"

Several seconds later, I was following the family as they haphazardly filed out of the building. Every step on my damaged foot caused a pained hiss and a visible wince. Once I was a fair distance from the burning building, I set my water-type down gently before turning my head to look at a familiar set of red eyes staring at me.

"Like what you see, Smurfette?"

"...I believe 'Smurfette' was blonde," Rei said blankly as she scrutinized me. "You are injured."

"Yes, I'm aware," I fought down the urge to clutch my own shoulder as I turned to face the bluenette. "I'll get it checked out at the hospital later. Are they okay?"

"They are fine...you, on the other hand," the girl narrowed her blood-red eyes at me. "You are an idiot."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"You should have waited alongside me. They would have come soon to check up on things."

"And let a house burn down? No thanks," I pointed to my head with my good hand. "You see, I kinda have this thing where I have to help people who are in danger, even if it's detrimental to my health. I think it's chronic, actually."

"_You should have seen him a few days ago. Dumbass here sucker punched a Darkrai that was eating people."_

"...Did your Riolu just talk?"

"_FUCK! I DID IT AGAIN, DIDN'T I?!"_

"You did...also, language! There's children nearby," I chided gently.

"_Did I lose my filter or something?" _the fighting-type asked.

"No, you're just having minor slip ups here and there...we're talking about the swearing, right?"

"_Ughh...now I'm gonna feel all self-conscious and just stay quiet, which will make me look creepy and shit, and that's not good because it'll look bad…"_

"Viggo, Relax!" I let out a grunt as I adjusted my damaged shoulder. "Now then, new plan! Wait for Clair, gib pakidge, find hospital-"

I was cut off by loud screams from the family I had just saved. The bluenette facing me was clearly just as confused as I was, based on the slight twitching of her brows and her rapid blinking. It wasn't until I felt a heated puff of air washing over me that I realized what was _probably _going on.

Believe it or not, I hadn't actually seen a live Gyarados before, even on television. Lance never needed to use his in any of his battles, and most trainers who owned one would forgo using them due to how hard they were to control. So, seeing an actual Gyarados, one that was practically _right next to me_, that was a new experience.

And by 'new experience', I mean ABSOLUTELY FUCKING TERRIFYING!

The games, the anime, the manga...hell, even the movie didn't do these things justice. The monstrous head attached to a thick, muscular neck covered in scales completely took over my vision, fang-filled maw opening and closing as the creature panted angrily. Wrathful red eyes bore down on me as the white fins on its chin flared up.

It was when it began charging a ball of fire-colored energy in its mouth that I realized I needed to _MOVE_.

"LOOK OUT!"

I'm not quite sure what I did, but I'd like to think it was because I was a wizard. Apparently, I shot a wave of Blue energy at Rei, knocking her back several feet, while also propelling myself backwards as well. Whatever it was, his Hyper Beam attack missed us by a big margin, and my Pokémon were able to jump away just in time.

Unfortunately, while Hyper Beam missed...Aqua Tail didn't.

"_B-BOSS!"_

"_MASTER!"_

"_ONII-CHAN!"_

While I was slammed into the now completely destroyed building behind us, I thought I heard voices calling out to me. Viggo's, I obviously recognized, but while the other two were familiar, I couldn't quite place them.

"Hehe...this time, you cherry licking perv! This time, I get to finally call you out on your bullshit…"

* * *

Clair's day had been full of ups and downs. On one hand, Carrie's Gyarados had been on a rampage for a whole week, and the poor girl was blaming herself for some probably imagined slight. On the _other _hand, some idiot kid had successfully played hero and saved a family, only for said Gyarados to slam him into a building.

Then there was Naoko's stepdaughter, Rei. Ruber nearly had a field day chewing the poor girl out before the Gym Leader had intervened, and that had given the woman enough time to interrogate her.

From Ayanami's description, the boy had apparently pushed her away from a Hyper Beam with a blast of energy from his hand, saving her life. Immediately after being thrown into the building, his Pokémon went berserk on the poor water-type, teaming up to knock it unconcious. Currently, said boy was busy recuperating in the nearby hospital from injuries received from both before and after he had encountered the Gyarados.

There was just something nagging at her about the kid specifically. Rei had told her that the boy had introduced himself as 'Jareth', and had expressed a wish to become a Dragon Master. An interesting choice for someone who was clearly a rookie trainer, but it seemed like he could handle himself...at least when he wasn't up against a Gyarados, obviously.

Another thing the blue-haired woman noted was that she hadn't gotten her package from Oak yet. Part of her wondered if perhaps the two events were connected in some strange way…

"Clair!"

The Gym Leader halted at the voice, turning her head just in time to see a man walking towards her. The woman let out a short sigh as she realized who it was, and turned to face him with a calm expression.

He was a man with short brown hair and a thin beard, his dark eyes hidden by orange spectacles. A fancy jacket set with green gems on the sleeves and collar was worn over a red turtleneck and black slacks. The white gloves on his hands served to detach him from any physical contact of any sort.

"Is everything alright, Gendo?"

"I was informed that my daughter fought a Gyarados," the brown-haired man's mouth twitched slightly when Clair stiffened. "I can assume that Ruber was exaggerating, then?"

"Rei didn't go up against a Gyarados, she was just there to witness said Gyarados being brought down," the bluenette looked to the side for a few seconds before letting out a small sigh. "She would have been hit by a Hyper Beam had it not been for an unknown trainer from out of town. He's currently lying in a hospital bed, and I'm here to get a debriefing on his situation from the staff...as well as personally thank him," Clair's blue eyes narrowed at the man. "Perhaps you could do the same since, like I just informed you, he did in fact save your daughter's life."

"I only came to see if she was unharmed. The _boy_ isn't of any concern to me."

The Gym Leader cocked an eyebrow at the venom in his voice. "If you say so. Now if you excuse me, I have to make sure that _boy _is alright."

Clair left the bespectacled man in the hallway as she continued her trek to Dr. Anjana's office. The bluenette went inside, only to be greeted by a small glowing green reptile with a boomerang-shaped head. The Pokémon's yellow eyes widened happily as it let out a small trill at seeing the Gym Leader.

"Dreepy! Agh, hang on a sec!"

Clair smirked at the blonde in the corner trying to calm her newest dragon-type down. Beneath her, a quiet chuckling echoed from her shadow before a larger green reptile with a black head slithered into the air. The Drakloak grabbed his younger sibling from midair before gently placing him on his head, chirping as the smaller dragon held on to his wide head.

"Still having trouble getting the little one under control, I see."

"Oh, Clair! Good to see you," the doctor stood up straight and faced her friend. "I'm assuming this isn't a social visit?"

"Unfortunately, no. What can you tell me about that kid that got bodied by Carrie's Gyarados?"

"Broken foot, broken shoulder, several cracked ribs, a broken arm and leg, and a few slipped discs," Anjana blanched as she pulled up the boy's chart and a tablet phone. "Apparently the first two happened _before _he met the Gyarados. I don't know the full story behind that one."

"Anything else you can give me?"

"His sponsoring Professor is Samuel Oak, he has the latest Pokédex model on hand, and he's obtained at least two other Pokémon aside from his starter. Aside from that, everything is pretty-oh, wait a second!" the blonde narrowed her eyes as she eyed her work tablet. "He's an orphan, and his contact info still lists his social worker and child services in Kanto."

"Well, that's interesting...probably means he's not insured, I'm guessing?"

"...He technically is," the doctor said nervously.

Clair furrowed her brows in confusion. "What do you mean he 'technically' is? Cause not many insurance companies offer payout in regards to Gyarados."

"The clan insurance does."

"He'd have to be a member of the…" the bluenette trailed off as the blonde nodded slowly. "But, how?"

"His name is Jareth? Ring any bells?"

"...But, that's _not _possible! W-We looked everywhere that night!" Clair clenched her fists as tears formed at the corners of her eyes. "We didn't find anything. No tiny little bodies or bones, nothing left of his baby carrier. He was just...gone…"

"Well, now he's lying in a hospital bed from a Gyarados attack," Anjana grabbed a paper on her desk and handed it to the Gym Leader. "Once he was brought in we kinda had to do bloodwork, in case he got tetanus from what happened, since that was a pretty old building. The results came back just this morning," the blonde pointed to a specific section of the blood results. "It's him alright. I have no idea how it happened, but he's been alive and well without us knowing."

Clair stared at the paper in her hands, mouth agape as she took everything in. "This is...I just can't believe it. If Lance were here…" the bluenette's eyes widened. "Lance! Just wait till he hears about this!"

"Just wait until _Ruber_ hears about this. You know he's been after that spot ever since they died."

The Gym Leader's nose curled up in disgust. "I guess it's a good thing we found the kid then. Otherwise that balding creep would be able to contest ownership," Clair rubbed her eyes clear as a smile crept across her face. "So it's really him huh? I just really can't believe it..."

* * *

"...So, I feel like I should thank you for what happened with Valerie, but...is there a reason for it?" I cringed as the angel cocked an eyebrow at me. "O-Okay, ya don't have to answer me then…"

In the golden world, the three people in front of me stared me down with various expressions across their faces. Kakyoin's eyebrow remained raised as he scrutinized me, his Stand shaking its head behind him in disappointment. It was the other two that I was actually a bit more curious about, to be honest.

The first one must have been a boy about my age, a kid with dark-blue hair and lightly tanned skin doing his best Jotaro cosplay, sans the forehead protector with a spirally leaf symbol on it. All things considered, it probably _wasn't _a cosplay now that I thought about it. The kid actively seemed disinterested in being here, but I could see some amount of curiosity in his eyes.

The other one was a pale boy in a white t-shirt and dark sweatpants, and while he was quite tall, he seemed to be around my age as well. His messy silver hair waved around as though there were some strange breeze passing around us. The most striking feature had to be his eyes, his left eye held a sky-blue orb, while his right eye was a blood-red devoured by a midnight black sclera.

Kakyoin cleared his throat and set me with a deadpan stare. "So, what was that you called me before you passed out? A 'cherry licking perv' I believe."

The Jotaro cosplayer burst out into laughter.

"Joushirou, it's not that funny-"

"It is! It is and you know it," the newly named Jojo sent me a small smirk. "So, you're that idiot who was struck by lightning, huh? Where'd you get reincarnated to anyway?"

"The world of Pokémon. You?"

"Naruto. I also got a little bonus…"

A familiar shape coalesced behind the boy, and I had to rub my eyes for a split second to confirm it. Star Platinum, the stand that _should _belong to Jotaro, was floating behind the boy with folded arms.

"Oh! You're that kid Kakyoin mentioned, with the stand and shit. I wasn't actually expecting to meet you…" I turned to face the half-ghoul to Kakyoin's right. "Wait, what's up with you anyway?"

"...I really am going insane," the tall boy said, shrinking in his own seat. "This...none of this is real. This is all just a crazy fever dream I'm having again...hehe…"

I turned to the redhead for clarification, to which he sighed. "Don't mind him, he's been psychologically broken since he was six. He's been saying those exact words since we first met."

"Ok, good to know," I held a hand out to the tall half-ghoul with a bright smile. "My name is Jareth, nice to meet ya big guy."

The tall preteen furrowed his brows at the offered hand before taking it nervously. "M-My name is Riley. It's nice to meet you too, crazy mind trick or not."

"So, what are you here for anyway?"

"I got hit with a bat a bunch of times and passed out after coming home…" Riley rubbed the back of his head gingerly. "Although I stayed awake long enough to watch my new friend confess to the guy she's known since she was a kid."

"Ooh, that nice...what about you?" I turned to the other Stand-User with a curious expression. "What are you here for?"

"Oh, this was supposed to be my normal appointment…" Star Platinum mimicked the boy's comical glare towards the redhead. "Keywords 'supposed to be' included."

"It was a minor oversight, alright!" Kakyoin gave me a wry grin. "You haven't explained what you were doing, by the way. You wanna tell em, or should I?"

I shrunk back a bit as the other two looked at me curiously. "So...I may have been flung into a building by a Gyarados-"

"Beg your pardon?" Jojo glared blankly at the redhead. "Why is he being reincarnated into situations where he's being flung into buildings by Gyarados?"

"Ok, in my defense...he isn't supposed to be anywhere near those," Kakyoin looked at me in exasperation. "When I said 'got to town, balls to the wall, whatever you feel like', I didn't mean become a dragon-master. You could have chosen anything else...hell, you could have chosen _everything _else."

"I think he made the right choice," Riley said weakly.

"You only say that because you heard dragons being mentioned."

"Well, they are the coolest thing in existence," the half-ghoul turned to me with a cheerfully curious expression. "By the way, what is a Gyarados?"

"Basically a giant snake-fish monster that can shoot energy beams strong enough to knock down buildings and fire that can only be put out by ice. They're also really irritable and go on rampages for months on end," I chuckled as the tall preteen followed my explanation as best he could. "Basically, they're insane water-dragons."

"Oh! That's cool!" the silver-haired boy leaned back in his chair, a small smile spreading across his face. "This is one of those nicer delusions…"

"I have a good question for you, Kakyoin!" I pointed towards the redhead with a wild glare. "Why the hell is my first Waifu, Rei Ayanami, in the world of fucking Pokémon?!"

"Wait, the fuck you just say?" Jojo cried out.

Kakyoin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, you see...multiverse theory is a very funny thing. Sometimes alternate universes can be funny like that," the angelic Stand-User motioned to Jojo. "Take Joushirou for instance. His world is a version of the world of Naruto where the Pillar Men, Hamon, Vampires, and Stands exist. Riley here is a one-eyed ghoul from the United States, and he's fated for a lot of things...one of which is to be paired with Eto-"

"Wait, who?"

The redhead ignored the tall boy and turned back to me. "So it's not too strange to think that there are alternate versions of certain people across multiple universes."

"...Ok, that _sorta _answers my question," I said flatly. "But also not really...kinda like the actual ending to Evangelion. Kinda funny, actually."

"What's funny is that you think Rei is waifu material," Jojo drawled out sardonically. "Asuka is best girl, nobody wants a doll you idiot."

"Oh, is that how it's gonna be?" I asked with narrowed eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure who you two are talking about…" the half-ghoul trailed off before looking at Kakyoin desperately. "Also, who is Eto?!"

"Riley, take my advice! Where you're from, green-haired girl is best girl, no questions asked. Now then," I rounded on the young Stand-User with a fierce gaze. "You and I both know that Rei is closer to the traditional japanese 'ojou', what with the nice girl and shrinking violet thing going on. There's nobody more perfect!"

"Your point? Just because she's close to a traditional girl doesn't make her that attractive. She follows orders like a damn puppet," Jojo and his stand leaned forward with a mocking smile on both their faces. "If you want a talking sex doll, be my guest."

I bristled angrily and straightened my collar. "Listen here you little shit!"

"20 years…" Kakyoin growled. "You assholes have been doing this for _20 goddamn years!_"

"Rei's smile can cure cancer!"

"That's a load of shit! Asuka is a deeply emotional and complex girl!"

"I'm still so confused!" the tall boy cried out.

Kakyoin let out a tired sigh. "Right, ending this now-"

"And your next line is, 'you aren't getting away that easily, Joestar!', go on!"

"YOU AREN'T GETTING AWAY THAT EASILY, JOESTAR!" I froze suddenly as my eyes widened. "W-What? Did you just-"

"**Haierofanto** **In Hebun!"**

***CRAAAASSSHHHHHHCCCCCKKKKKKKKKVVVVVVVRRRrrrrrrrrr***

—

"Agh!" I sat up in bed with a jolt, holding my free hand to my head. "Fucking milf-hunting dick! Didn't even finish giving that red team jerk a piece of my mind…"

A short pain in my right arm brought me back to most of my senses. I looked around the room to find that, unsurprisingly, I was in another hospital for the third time that month, second time as a patient. My face fell as I noticed my right arm and left leg were both in casts, my leg completely encased due to my injured toes.

"Second time's a charm, huh?" I leaned back in bed and let out a short huff. I suddenly began blinking when I noticed a familiar blue and black face hanging at the corner of my vision. "V? Oh, hey there bud-oof!" I winced as the fighting-type jumped forward and curled his arms around my torso, burying his crying face into my chest. "Alright, I kinda saw this coming-"

"_GHAHAJKGHBAAFJJJJHAAA!"_

I patted Viggo on the head gently. "I know, and I'm sorry. I promised you I wouldn't do crazy shit like that again and I broke it," I felt the corners of my lips twitch at the fighting-type's continued sobs. "I shouldn't have gone ahead and played hero without a real plan, and I shouldn't have put myself in the line of fire like that."

"_KGHHAGHHHLEFFFLUFLEUU!"_

"I know, I know! I made you worry, I acted stupid again. I just...I didn't feel right, standing by like that while that was happening," I leaned my head back with a quick sigh. "It's not like I planned for the Gyarados to just show up like that. I...I'm sorry, I really am…"

My starter lifted his head with a sniffle and wiped away a few tears. "_Y-You really c-couldn't stand by and let p-people burn alive."_

"Well, I'd feel pretty shitty if I did."

Viggo stared at me for a few seconds before making a small snort. "_You'd make a good Lucario, since we're all about that," _the fighting-type poked me in the face before I could interject. "_I know, I'm not evolved yet, doesn't change the whole justice thing...Boss?"_

"Yeah?"

"_Please don't do anything stupid within the next month. Please!"_

"...So you're saying that as long as I get through _this _month, I'm fine?"

My starter let out a short sniffle before giving me a deadpan stare. "_Just make the promise already."_

"Fine, fine!" I held my free hand up and closed my eyes. "I promise not to do anything dangerously stupid within this next month."

"_I guess that's the best I can hope for," _the fighting-type curled up against my chest. "_T-Thanks boss, and thanks for...everything, really…"_

"Don't mention it bud...by the way, what were those other voices I heard?"

"_Eh?"_

"When I was hit by the Gyarados, I heard other voices. One of them called me 'master', the other one called me 'Onii-chan', the like. Who was…" I blinked when I caught my other two Pokémon sitting at my feet, giving me wide-eyed stares. "That...that wasn't you guys, was it?"

The two nodded slowly.

"W-What? But, I can't understand Pokémon...wait, it was the magic I used."

"_Magic?"_

"When I pushed Rei out of the way, I fired this blue energy from my hand," I held my left hand towards my face in awe. "I...am a motherfuckin' sorcerer!"

"_Y-You're not a sorcerer, you just used Aura!"_

"...Same thing-"

"_No, no it is not. Also...how did you use Aura?!"_

"Well, I've been meditating for a few days. Maybe I've got some talent with it," I tilted my head as Viggo closed his eyes and clasped his paws together. The black streamer-like appendages on his head rose as a small blue glow outlined him. "Uhh, you alright?"

"_You do have Aura...a bit more than most humans, actually...it's just, you're not really that close to unlocking it," _the fighting-type opened his eyes as his aura-sensors fell back down. "_My guess is that you just activated it temporarily in fear and desperation once you saw that Gyarados."_

"Huh...that's pretty neat," I turned to pet my other two Pokémon. "So, if I unlock my Aura, I'll be able to understand you guys?"

"_No, not immediately. I saw a novice Aura-Guardian once, and he was still learning that trick. That's usually the first thing Aura-Guardians learn though, but it's tricky, what with the accents and dialects and different languages we all have."_

"That is all very fascinating," a familiar voice echoed from beside me.

I jolted in shock as I found Rei standing directly next to my hospital bed, still giving me her nearly blank, red-eyed stare. My mouth flopped open like a fish before I finally composed myself.

"H-Have you been standing there the entire time?!"

"_She has...also, she has Aura too," _Viggo snorted at my bewildered expression. "_In fact, she has more than most Aura-Guardians. She can understand us...sorta…" _

"I had immediate reason to be suspicious of your actions beforehand, since your fighting-type," the bluenette motioned to Viggo. "Said strange incoherent gibberish. I am glad that it was nothing nefarious, of course."

"G-Gibberish?"

_"Has Anyone Really Been Far Even as Decided to Use Even Go Want to do Look More Like?"_

I blinked at the fighting-type in shock. "That's what you said? You only said 'Riolu' twice!"

"_Is it any weirder than what you have going on in your mind?" _

_Our house! In the middle of our house! Our House! In the middle of our-Our House! In the middle of our house! Our House! In the middle of our-Our House! In the middle of our house! Our House! In the middle of our house! Our House! In the middle of our-_

"_B-Boss!"_

"You put the lime in the coconut!" I blurted out. Noticing the confused looks of the others, I shrunk back into the covers. "Sorry, just spaced out a bit."

"I see…" Rei took a deep breath, averting her gaze from me for a split second before bowing lowly. "I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your assistance in protecting my person."

"...Eh?"

Rei stood up straight and tilted her head. "Thank you for saving me from that Gyarados."

"Oh, uh...you're welcome," I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "I mean, really, it was nothing."

"May I ask why your face is red?"

"...I'm feeling a bit feverish, that's all," I squeaked out.

"_Really? Four now? Oh boy…"_

"Four of what?"

"Nothing!" I cried out. "I mean, I only have three Pokémon, not four."

"I see…"

"So, those people that I saved, are they alright?"

"I do not believe they incurred any injuries," the girl said mutely. "When I was able to stand again, I made sure they were removed from the situation while the Gyarados was...taken care of…"

"Oh right, how did that happen anyway?" I asked my starter.

"_So...remember the Beedrill swarm?" _Viggo's shoulders slunk at my dull expression. "_Basically like that, but like, Calypso hit him with icy wind and dragon rage, then Maggie paralyzed him with thunder wave and did this thing with a murder glare and some ghost fire stuff." _

I blinked a few times before craning my head to look at the ghost-type. "You learned hex?"

"D-Dre?" the little witch shrugged. "Dre, Dre."

"Mean Look too? That's great!" I reached out with my free hand and gently patted the ghost's head. "I'm really proud of you, y'know?"

"D-Dre…" Maggie looked away bashfully.

"So, you're the only one that came to see me?" I asked the bluenette.

"I am, actually. The family you saved are dealing with the fallout of their house being damaged. Clair may want to speak to you of course."

"Wait, really?!"

"Yes, most likely she wishes to both thank you and apologize for your injuries...perhaps to chide you for putting yourself in a dangerous situation."

"I get to meet Clair...holy shit," I put a hand to my forehead in thought. "I...I don't look dirty, do I? My hair is fine, I don't have anything in my teeth?"

"_You've been in the hospital since yesterday, you haven't gone through some big changes. Plus, your hair always looks poofy."_

"It's actually hydrophobic," I let that sit in the air for several seconds. "I know, it's really weird. I have to take certain steps if I want to clean it right."

"_What does 'hydrophobic' mean?!"_

"His hair repels water molecules," Rei said simply.

"_That's...wow…"_

"So, I finally get to deliver this damn package. Hell, I get to ask _Clair_ for advice on dragon training. This might be the best week of my life...regardless of Gyarados mauling and that thing with Darkrai," I tilted my head to the blue fighting-type. "Wait, is my pack alright?"

"_It's fine, I put it right beside the bed. It's like that thing is indestructible, maybe it's one of those bags that's endless."_

"It's bigger on the inside," I said with a smirk, before turning to the girl with a nervous expression. "So...guess I'd need something to fill the dead air while I'm waiting for Clair…"

"...You may ask, if you really wish."

I finally blurted it out as though I were holding my breath in. "What dragon-types do you have?"

"...That is not what I expected."

"What were you expecting me to ask in the first place?"

Rei looked at her chest for a split second before looking to the side. "O-Oh, it's nothing…"

* * *

When Clair finally arrived at Jareth's hospital room, she stopped right outside his door. The blue-haired woman took a deep breath and steeled herself, not sure what to expect from her long lost relative.

When she actually entered...she knew it certainly wasn't this.

"_Are you suggesting that COCONUTS_ _migrate?!" _

"No, no! I'm not suggesting that at all," the purple-haired boy said defensively. "They could be carried."

"_You're saying a Tailow_ _could carry a coconut?!" _the blue-fighting type cried out.

Beside them, Rei made a small coughing noise.

"_What, you got some input on this?" _the Riolu rounded on the girl curiously.

"It could grip it by the husk," the younger bluenette offered.

"_It's not a question of where it grips it! It's a question of weight ratios!"_ the jackal-like Pokémon sighed in exasperation. "_Just because it's a five pound bird doesn't mean it could carry a one pound coconut for that distance without getting tired."_

"I don't think it matters, V," the boy said nervously.

"_Listen, in order to maintain airspeed velocity, a Tailow would need to beat its wings 52 times every second, right?" _

"I-I don't-"

"_Am I right?"_

"It could be carried by a Swellow," Rei interjected.

"_Ok, well that's a different story entirely. Yes, a __**Swellow **__could carry it, but a Tailow is out of the question." _

"Yes, of course…"

"_Plus, once they've evolved, Swellow don't really migrate all that much since they become predatory. So they wouldn't really feel the need to just lift a bunch of coconuts around like that."_

"Wait!" the purple-haired boy cried out. "What if _two _Tailow carried them together?"

"_That wouldn't work! They'd have to have it on a line!"_

"That's quite simple," the girl said. "They would just use a strand of creeper."

"_What, are they gonna hold it under their dorsal guiding feathers?!" _

"Why wouldn't they?" the boy asked confusedly.

Clair cleared her throat, causing the three to turn to her. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," the older bluenette flinched as Rei knelt down and bowed her head. "R-Rei, how many times have we been over this-"

"Ruber told me that I would be severely punished if I didn't take a knee to my superiors."

"Okay, well _Ruber_ doesn't have the authority to order that, regardless of your standing in the clan," Clair pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "It's every day with that balding creep, I feel like gramps should do _something _about it…"

"Ummm...so, hello!" the Gym Leader blinked as the injured boy waved at her. "So, there is a _lot _I want to say. I'm a huge fan, I guess that's a start, and I guess I was gonna ask you for any advice since I wanna be a dragon trainer…Oh! Is there some test I can do to get a Dratini around here? Cause that's my main goal in life."

The bluenette gave the boy a soft smile, her heart thumping as she tried to contain her emotions. "So, there's a lot I want to say...I guess, to start...it's really nice to see you again, Jareth."

"Eh? Oh, the old man must have told you I was coming! Hang on," the teen snapped his fingers before his face lit up. The violet-haired boy smirked as he pulled out an oblong package from the satchel next to his bed. "Alright, here you go! One delivery from Prof. Oak, for either Lance or Clair Blackthorn," the boy leaned forward with a small grunt, unable to move from the bed due to his injuries. "I...well, if you just came a few feet closer…"

Clair opened her mouth for a few seconds, then closed it before shaking her head. The woman walked forward and gently pulled the package from the boy's hands, turning it around and giving it a onceover. When she looked back at the injured boy, she couldn't help but giggle at his confused expression.

"It really is a small world, huh? I've been waiting for this for a while, and it somehow has to be _you _of all people as the delivery boy," a happy smile spread across the older bluenette's face. "It's like fate."

"Eh, fate is bullshit. If you told me that it was set in stone that I would win _every _Pokémon league, then I'd make sure to consistently fuck everything up just to prove a point," the boy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I know that's a self-deprecating example, but it's not like I have a big meaningful speech about it. Basically, screw destiny. Screw it right in the face!"

"...Just like Connie," Clair whispered under her breath.

"Eh?"

"_I have a question!" _the Gym Leader turned to the blue fighting-type. "_What's __**in **__the package? It's just, I've been wondering ever since we started towards this place."_

Clair smirked as she opened the box, removing a large metallic capsule frothing with icy mist.

"Well, when Prof. Oak was younger, he won more than a few leagues himself with his Dragonite. So of course, the Blackthorn Clan was interested in seeing if he wanted to help us with our breeding projects," the bluenette held up the misty capsule with a cheerful grin. "He makes sure to deliver these once or twice every year, since his Dragonite is busier these days helping him with his lectures and can't come personally."

"_S-So, you're saying that that's his Dragonite's..." _the Riolu trailed off nervously.

"His Dragonite's semen," Rei finished.

"_...Ugh...and I smelled it...several times…"_

"V, it's in a metal container, which was in a box. There were plenty of layers protecting you from it," the boy shook his head in exasperation. "I mean, yeah I'm not exactly feeling all peachy about carrying around Dragonite's...yeah, but what are you gonna do? It sounds like Dragonite is fine with it, and I'm guessing they need the genetic diversity for-wait just a second!" the purple-haired teen sat up in bed as best he could. "Before...you said it was good to see me 'again'. What did you mean by that?"

Clair took a deep breath before taking a step towards the boy. "So, there's no easy way to say this...a long time ago, my cousin Connie married a man named Aerl from Hoenn. Everything seemed great for them, they were really happy together," the woman rubbed the back of her neck nervously as a grimace spread across her face. "They were especially happy after they had their son. He was just the most wonderful thing, I remember holding him when I was younger and thinking 'ohmygod he's the cutest thing I've ever seen'. He was just this...cute little thing with purple hair and eyes."

"This sounds really nice and all, but I have no idea what that has anything to do with me?"

"Well, almost a year after he was born, Connie and Aerl were out flying with him when they were...attacked. We don't know _exactly _who, but we have a few good ideas," Clair let out a short huff before turning back to the boy with misty eyes. "We tried to find the baby, we really did. After about a month, everybody just gave up. I searched for nearly a year because I didn't want to concede, but eventually I was forced back home because...well, everyone just figured it wouldn't be possible for a baby to survive that long in the woods."

"...A-Alright, what's the twist to the story then?"

"Well, there were a bunch of blood tests I just got earlier this morning, and...it turns outs he's been alive all these years," an elated smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as tears began to fall. "In fact, I'm talking to him right now."

* * *

I stared at Clair for a full minute with what I could only assume was a neutral expression. I barely registered Callie tilting her head in confusion, or Maggie's awestruck look. Beside me, I could see the upper portion of Viggo's face hidden by shadows, and I could only imagine how uncharacteristic Rei's shocked visage must have been.

Finally, I let out a tired sigh. "37…"

"...E-Eh? What does that mean?"

"This would be 37 times as of now, although I have to admit, having it done to me by a celebrity, especially somebody I _used _to look up to until now, it's a first," I sat up as straight as I could and pulled my pillow up, groping around all over the place with my free hand. "It's gotta be around here somewhere...maybe where I can't reach it, that'd be real annoying."

"I...I'm sorry, what are you doing?"

"Looking for the microphone, or the little camera, or whatever you set up to record this," I growled. "Oh, I bet you guys have some sort of livefeed or something. How many people are having a chuckle at this, huh?"

"Y-You don't believe me?"

"As much as I'd like to, I've been through this song and dance before," I set the pillow down and narrowed my eyes at the blue-haired woman. "37 times, actually. 37 fucking times in my life I've had people come out of the woodwork saying they're my parents, that they're my grandparents, my uncle or aunt, or some other long lost relative."

"I have the blood test to prove it-"

"Ooh, that'd be 13 times I've heard _that_ one," I remarked snidely. "I'm not quite sure how you could gain from this, since you're a celebrity and all."

"What are you talking about?!" the Gym Leader cried out.

"Oh, you _really _wanna know?" I leaned forward with a wild grin. "When I was four, I was told that nobody wanted to adopt me by my first social worker. The old hag said it like it was perfectly fine to tell a kid who didn't have parents that _nobody_ wanted him. And I can assure you the foster homes weren't any better."

"What does that have to do with-"

"I'm _not _finished!" I quickly hissed to Rei before she could give her two cents. "Do you wanna know how I felt the first time somebody told me they were my real parents? I...I genuinely felt like I was going to cry. All my life I was told I could have that, and suddenly these two wonderful people show up and I start to think that maybe I can finally be happy," I lowered my head as my eyes screwed themselves shut. "I was a naive 5-year old, I'd believe anything I heard. When they stopped visiting me, I felt like my heart would break. I only found out _why _after I was eight."

I waited for the others in the room to interject, before sighing as I continued. "AS it turns out, I have a trust fund, like a lot of other orphans and foster children in the system. Since I was found in relation to a crime scene or whatever, I got a fair amount of cash," I glared into empty space and let out a harsh snort. "It just so happens that, due to some kink in the legal system, legal guardians can cash these trust funds in early, and it turns out more than a few of them do. Those people, they wanted to take advantage of my pain, take what's supposed to help me in life, and probably dump me on the edge of a street," I turned back to the Gym Leader coldly. "If it wasn't people like that trying to worm their way into my existence, it was the creepy ones instead. So, pardon me if I sound like a dick, but when I have someone do _that_ for the 37th time in my life, I'm not exactly ready to jump for joy over it."

Clair's mouth moved for several seconds without making any noise. The woman bit her lip slightly as she glanced to the younger blue-haired girl for help. Finally, the Gym Leader stepped forward and set me with a fierce look.

"I'm not lying, I swear it."

"14…"

"You're my family, I know it in my heart, and you do too!"

"33…"

"I have every way to prove it! Not just the blood tests either!"

"23…"

"Okay, would you stop _that_!" Clair cried out.

"Stop what?"

"T-The numbers thing. You're just spouting out random numbers as I talk-"

"Oh no, I'm adding to the count of how many times I've heard certain lines," I said nonchalantly, a lopsided sneer on my face. "I've heard those things so many times, I actually made a mental list for it."

"_Uh...boss…" _

I flinched a bit and tried to soften my expression as I turned to my starter. "Yeah bud, I get it, I sound like-"

"_No, I get it. I mean, it's nice that I get to hear __**your**_ _backstory this time around, but…" _the fighting-type looked between me and Clair for a few seconds. "_She's...she's telling the truth. The entire time she spoke, there wasn't any change in her Aura or her heartbeat that she'd have if she were lying, she only went through the things that are sorta normal for people getting all emotional." _

I tilted my head at Viggo before turning to my other two Pokémon. Callie was looking at me with an uncertain expression, clearly confused by much of the situation. Maggie gave me a sad look with her wide eyes that nearly made me melt.

"...Give me one good reason why I shouldn't believe this is some crazy prank you've managed to pull."

"You like dragon-types," Clair wasn't asking me, she was stating a fact. When I remained silent, she continued by correcting herself. "You _love _dragon-types. You know more about them than any other person you're close to. You can instantly understand a dragon just by looking at it, and you connect with them faster than anybody else."

I took a deep breath before tilting my head up to the woman. "That isn't exactly something exclusive to the Blackthorn Clan. Give something more than just _that_."

Clair walked towards me while pulling out a photo and showing it at me. "Is this enough? They're your real parents, you'll know if you take _one _look."

I stared at the Gym Leader blankly before gingerly pulling the photograph from her hand and looking down at it. My jaw half-dropped once I caught the two people in it, and I could already feel the stinging of tears at the corners of my eyes.

The first of the two I noticed was a man with dark olive skin and dark eyes, wearing a red flannel shirt and jeans. Though his hair was jet black, I felt my heart nearly stop at the sight of the same exact poofy mop I knew all too well. I knew then and there that there wasn't any chance that this photo was doctored, because _that_ was just too hard to recreate.

The woman hanging off of him wore a green sweater accompanied by a short skirt, and fuzzy little boots. She looked somewhat similar to Clair, but her hair was much straighter, and the familiar shade of violet matched her eyes. Her cheerful expression and obviously boisterous behavior was a stark contrast to her partner's shy grimace.

Around them were an assortment of fully evolved dragon-types, each one at their specific owner's side.

The Garchomp standing next to the man would have looked intimidating with his arms folded, if it weren't for the singing Altaria sitting on his head. Behind the shark-like dragon was a Goodra with a visible sweatdrop on her face. Sleeping at his feet was a shiny Haxorus, one of its red eyes opening in response to the camera flash.

Beside the woman was a shiny Dragonite who was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. A Gyarados loomed over them, his exasperated expression captured right as he had begun to shake his head. A Kingdra sat below the larger water-type, visibly distracted by who knows what. Her final Pokémon was a Salamence that laid at her feet across from Haxorus, and he was clearly the only one who knew that he was supposed to smile at the camera.

"...C-Can I have a few moments to myself?" I asked slowly as I wiped the tears away. "Just...just to process this…"

Clair stepped back a bit in shock, before giving me a solemn nod. "Of course, take all the time you need, kiddo," out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her motioning to Rei. "Come on, he needs some space."

I sat deathly still for a few minutes after they left, before leaning back onto the hospital bed. I wiped my eyes clean with a short groan as I laid the picture in my lap. Viggo padded up beside me and leaned on the bed rails, a worryful expression on his face.

"...Clair...is my cousin," I said simply.

"_Once removed, I think."_

"...I sounded like a total asshole."

"_Okay, that's sorta debatable," _the fighting-type shrugged. "_I mean, from what you said, sounds like you sorta had a good reason for acting like that...w-was it really that bad?"_

"Hmm? What was?"

"_The 'being an orphan' thing."_

I turned my head back to the ceiling with a sigh. "Well, aside from what I mentioned...it was a pretty hot button to push by other kids," I rubbed my forehead tiredly with my free hand. "You know how it is, kids can be mean, yadda yadda, all that. It was adults, they were the ones who made everything suck. Sure, a bunch of the parents taking their kids to camp were sympathetic, but a few of them acted like their kids were better because of it," I snorted somewhat. "About 90% of them were named 'Karen', so I think you already know what was going on there. Aside from them, most people who heard about me just thought I was the stereotypical urchin, or worse. I'd get stares all the time, and I had to work hard to get people to trust me."

"_I...wow, that does sound pretty bad."_

"Well...I mean, it isn't 'kidnapped by mad scientists' bad. You said it yourself, you had to survive off trash and stuff," my expression softened as I looked at my starter from the corner of my eye. "Do you still have parents?"

Viggo stiffened at my question and turned away, remaining silent for almost a minute. "_It's complicated,_" the fighting-type said nervously. "_I found out I had a stupidly high level of Aura by accident, because of an...accident, with some friends."_

"...Were they okay?"

"_They're fine, it's just that they were kinda freaked out by the monstrous Aura Sphere and never talked to me again after that," _the jackal-like Pokémon let out a short huff. "_The leaders of the...I guess we're a Tribe, they talked to the local Aura Guardians, and they decided I needed extensive training to control it. They left me with this old man who was like me, with crazy high Aura, but my parents were still allowed to visit all the time."_

"Do you miss them?"

"_I do, I think about them every day...but I can't go back to them. Remember the crazy mad scientist guys who wanted to harness my Aura or something? I don't think they're against kidnapping them or the old man for leverage."_

I reached out with my free hand and gently rubbed between his ears. "One of these days, when we're in Sinnoh, I'll bring you back home. You deserve a chance to be with them again."

"_W-What? But I-"_

"V, I never had that, you shouldn't lose that chance."

"_...T-Thanks, boss."_

"What about you two?" I asked my other Pokémon. "Do you guys have parents? Or, any family you miss?"

Maggie sagged towards the ground with misty eyes. "D-Dre, Dre…"

"_She has a dad, apparently."_

"Sea, Sea."

"_Callie has a pod, so it seems...but...you don't have parents?" _the fighting-type asked confusedly.

"Sea, Seeeaaa."

"_Your mom is asleep, and your dad just flies wherever he wants?"_

"...Your mom is a Kingdra, your dad is a Dragonite."

"Sea, Sea!" the water-type nodded cheerfully.

"Well, that clears up some things...what about your dad, Maggie?"

"Mis, Misdre!"

"_Huh, haven't heard you make that specific noise...also, __**what **__is a Spiritomb?"_

"...I should have realized. That's why she knows all her egg moves, even Nasty Plot," I used my free hand to grab my Pokédex from my bag. "Pokédex, Spiritomb can breed."

The Pokédex beeped a few times. "_Correction! Spiritomb are Pokémon formed by 108 dark spirits that were locked into Odd Keystones for their misdeeds both before and after their deaths. As such, they are not capable of procreation._"

"Pokédex, my Misdreavus claims that her father is a Spiritomb. I am inclined to believe it, since there's no other way she could learn Nasty Plot."

The Pokédex beeped once again before a bar appeared on the screen. "_Compiling data...gathering verbal account...scanning…_"

"_This gunna take awhile, huh?"_

"Yeah, probably…"

* * *

"So...I'm really sorry, about yesterday, when-"

"Would you relax! I'm not mad about it," I flinched as Clair patted me on the head. "I mean, you laid everything out, so I can understand why you were skeptical."

"It still doesn't make it better. We're family, and I still yelled out you and acted like you were out to get me. Really, I'm sorry for what I did."

A short gasp escaped my throat as the bluenette curled her arms around me in a bear hug.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're alive, after so long. It really is good to see you again, cousin," the woman let out a small chuckle as she pulled away. "Boy, _they're _gonna be really happy to see you too."

"Uh...who?"

"Oh, it's a surprise~!"

"...That makes me feel less enthused," I deadpanned.

"_I just realized...you totally jinxed it!" _Viggo let out a short snort as I looked to him. "_When we were charging over to save that family, Rei was all like 'gotta follow Clan orders' and you were like 'duuh, I ain't a member of the clan, I do what I want', and ya jinxed it."_

"I...I mean, I didn't think I was actually a member of the-"

"Wouldn't that mean you should be reprimanded for disobeying Rei's orders?" Clair asked jokingly.

"Okay firstly, I didn't _know _I was a Blackthorn...and even if I did, I'd still have done it. Viggo can be a bit abrasive, but he's still a Riolu, and he'd never sit right if I didn't do anything."

"_Pfft, we're not all like that!" _the fighting-type shrunk a bit when I gave him an incredulous look. "_Alright, so we are all like that...but __**I'm**_ _not like that-Agh no! I am, I can't lie about this shit! It goes against my nature!"_

"See? They're total justice and honor nuts...I mean, so are most dragons, so that's not really gonna be a problem," I rubbed the back of my head as a sheepish grin spread across my face. "At least I know I'm good hands."

"Don't you mean that he's-"

"I know what I said," I quickly interjected. I caught a dark shape flitting behind Clair and froze. "What the hell was that?"

"Huh?! What are you-"

"Dree!"

I blinked in shock as a small green lizard creature rose from a shadow on the ground, before floating over to my bed. The little shadow lizard curled it's arms around the rail of my hospital bed and looked at me with a cheerful grin.

"Dree! Dreepy!"

"...What is _that_?!"

I blinked as a blonde woman charged past the door in the hall, calling out for one of her lost Pokémon. The little green creature tilted its head towards the door before letting out a ghostly chuckle. I could almost _hear _the record scratch as the doctor backed up and turned her head stiffly towards the creature.

The poor thing looked like it had seen a ghost.

"Dreepy! What is it with you and flying off?" the blonde grabbed the newly named 'Dreepy' and held it in front of her. "Where is your older brother? He must be worried!"

Dreepy shrugged, as if to say he had no idea. Then a dark shadow appeared behind him, before slowly rising towards the small lizard. A large, somewhat ethereal lizard with a black boomerang-shaped head floated behind him, looking at the smaller creature with a deadpan glare.

Dreepy shrunk in place before his trainer released him, the larger lizard quickly grabbing his younger sibling and placing him onto his head. The larger lizard chirped happily as it twirled in midair.

"Uhh...context?" I asked my long-lost cousin.

"Dr. Anjana, I see you're still having trouble with the kids," Clair said teasingly.

"It's every other hour with Dreepy, yeah...Oh! Jareth, I heard about what happened yesterday," the doctor pulled out a small stack of papers and shoved them my way. "This should put everything to-"

"I already proved it to him," Clair said blithely. "I showed him a picture of his parents. You can't replicate that hairstyle with anything other than genetics."

"...Oh...well, at least you have a blood test to confirm it."

"Jareth, this is Xana Anjana, our clan doctor."

"It's nice to meet you!" the doctor said cheerfully.

"How did you get...right, Gyarados attack," I let out a short sigh before turning back to the strange lizards. I blinked a bit when I saw Maggie slowly floating over. "Uhh...kinda concerned, cause unknown Pokémon. Maggie, please be careful."

"Would you relax! The Dreepy line is pretty friendly for ghost-types," Clair smiled at my curious expression. "Yes, they're secondary ghosts. You can guess what their primary type is."

"_T-There are GHOST DRAGONS?"_

"V, remember that one time-"

"_We said we'd never talk about that, didn't we?"_

"Oh yeah, sorry," I tilted my head as Maggie began playing with the smaller ghost-dragon. "Where do those things even come from?"

"They're native to the Galar region. They're the Pseudo-Legend line there, like with Dragonite and Tyranitar."

"Oh! Well...I know what I'm gonna try to do when I get to Galar."

"Eh? _When _you get to Galar? Slow down kiddo, you're still in the hospital," Clair walked over to me and laid a hand on my shoulder. "I think I'd actually like you to stay here for a few months. I'll bring you back home, we can make up for lost time, you can meet _them_, maybe I'll even enroll you in the clan's dragon-taming classes for a bit," the bluenette slapped a hand to her forehead with a short grunt. "Ugh! I haven't even told Lance yet…"

"I'm sorry, did you just say 'dragon-taming classes'?" I felt my face falling comically as my long-lost cousin nodded. "Ah shit...here we go again…" a small sigh escaped my throat as I cupped a hand to my chin in thought. "Well, Indigo League doesn't start for a few more months, I can deal with it...I just have _one _question, Clair."

"Uh...sure, go ahead and ask."

"Do...do I get my own cape?"

* * *

**After years of being lost in the dark about his past, our hero has finally learned the truth behind his existence. Now as a member of the Blackthorn Clan, young Jareth finally has family to speak to, and a chance to understand his goals in the world better. Just what waits for him in his new home? Just _how _will he fare in dragon-tamer school? And just what kind of Pokémon will he catch next? Tune in next time to find out. **

* * *

**Trainer Name: Jareth Blackthorn**

**Pokémon team:**

**Viggo (Riolu):**

**Known moves: Aura Sphere, Screech, Quick Attack, Force Palm, Shadow Claw, Bullet Punch, Mind Reader, Meteor Mash, Blaze Kick, Vacuum Wave, High Jump Kick, Drain Punch.**

**Maggie (Misdreavus):**

**Known moves: Astonish, Confuse Ray, Psywave, Telekinesis, Sucker Punch, Ominous Wind, Screech, Spite, Nasty Plot, Shadow Sneak, Curse, Memento, Psychic, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, Mean Look, Hex.**

**Calypso/Callie (Horsea):**

**Known moves: Bubble, Smokescreen, Leer, Water Gun, Dragon Rage.**

* * *

**Chapter 5 complete. Now Jareth will spend 6 chapters in a school like in my other fic (JK,JK XD). **

**Now, for the matter of Rei. Why did I include her, and Gendo? Well...I was rewatching Evangelion, and I had the idea while I was**** ̶s̶t̶o̶n̶e̶d̶ ****writing this up. I **_was _**going to have her be a rival, then I remembered I had an entirely different blue-haired girl planned for that. So yeah, the reasons for that will be explained in further chapters, but there's not going to be any people being turned into tang or stuff like that, I promise.**

**As for Jareth's first dragon-type...I realized that I shouldn't give him a Dratini just yet. I put the whole Gyarados blockage thing as a plot point to prevent this. He'll get a Gyarados pretty soon, but he'll need to reign it in first in order to have a Dratini. No, the dragon-type I thought of giving him, he'll get after he gets his Ekans (I figured out the Solid Snake reference for it, btw). You'll see that in about a dozen chapters or so. **

**Alrighty, onto the reviews!**

**Tobi is a Gooder Boy: Yeah, Arceus will have some minor involvement in a plot point...in the Johto arc, if I ever get that far. **

**Crembo: I know, right? Not-Jessie and Not-James only ever showed up in a few episodes.**

**coldblue2015: Thank you again for the review. I tried to base Darkrai more off of Cell and Alucard from TFS, only a _lot _darker for the purpose. He's meant to serve as a non-human antagonist, while the human villain has yet to be revealed. Nuggets and pearls are an interesting idea, though with how I plan for Jareth's journey to go, pearls are probably an easier find. Jareth's next ****Pokémon is gonna be a Gyarados, not gonna mince words there, but since it is a Gyarados, it won't be something that'll listen to him right away. The Ekans comes after Gyarados, but before his...well, won't spoil. Finally, there's not gonna any casinos on the ocean route to**** Fuchsia City-wait, whoops.**

**Blaze2121: I'm more than certain that family reuinions between the Joys and Jennys get _really _confusing. Everybody looks the same, and has the same name, you'll get lost in a crowd faster than you can blink.**

**zdeath01: *Ba dum tsst***

**DG2: Yeah, chapter 4 was slightly sped up towards the end, but that was mostly due to personal issues. The Darkrai thing was planned with the intent to bring a non-human villain for them to watch out for, but I may have overshot it a bit. A complaint on Spacebattles was that he was too weak, so that'll change inbetween things. All in all, t****hank you for your constructive criticism, I really appreciate it.**

**HarunoWolf17: Thank you for your review. Yes, his former 'no name ATM' _was _foreshadowing. Now it isn't, cause of the obvious. I've read a few of those SI/OC fics you mentioned, and I do enjoy them quite a bit. **

**RealEWF: It's mostly gonna be Jojo references. Makes it even better, since Riolu can learn Thunder Punch, which is just asking for a "Hamon Overdrive!" to be shouted along with it. **

**P34644563: *Slowly sips tea while posing homoerotically* You act like that's a negative thing about Jojo. **

**Thank you for reading and reviewing, please leave any thoughts, questions, and constructive c****riticism in your reviews.**


	6. A Castle for your Troubles

**Here we are with another chapter. The lockdown has given me more than enough time to write stuff up, just one of the many bright side of an already grim situation. If you're interested, please go ahead and check out the new fic on my profile, as well as my profile for details on 'In Another World' that you might like to know about. **

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**Dialogue format:**

"Talking"

"_Pokédex speaking_" (has normal quotation marks but italic speech)

_"Telepathy" _(everything in italics!)

* * *

**In our last installment, our heroes finally arrived at Blackthorn City, where they seemingly made a new "friend" in the form of the enigmatic Rei Ayanami. Just when things seemed to be looking up, a Gyarados attack caused our dear protagonist to be laid up in the hospital for the foreseeable future. Much to his surprise and disbelief, he is visited by Clair during his hospital stay and informed of his parentage and status as a member of the Blackthorn Clan.**

**While young Jareth is doing everything to come to terms with this information, one can only wonder what is going on behind the scenes...**

* * *

**Lake of Rage, Johto**

**S̶e̶c̶r̶e̶t̶ ̶T̶e̶a̶m̶ ̶R̶o̶c̶k̶e̶t̶™̶ ̶B̶a̶s̶e Definitely **_**not **_**a Secret Team Rocket™ Base**

Prof. Sebastian smirked as the data appeared on the widescreen before him. Rocket grunts and lesser scientists scrambled across the lab ground floor as they took their stations. The bespectacled man leaned on the banister as the markers appeared on the map of the lake, an excited expression spreading across his face.

Much to his displeasure, Sebastian's colleagues did not share the sentiment.

"I don't understand why Project R is getting so much attention," an orange-haired man beside the Professor said hotly. His large eyebrows flared up as he twiddled his spiky moustache. "My Sea Ghost plan has far more merit…"

"Well, Dr. Namba, the amount of resources it would take to capture a fully grown _Legendary Pokémon_ would be astoundingly high," a man with curly white hair and matching moustache chided. "As much as I'd love to study one, it's not exactly feasible at this time...Dr. Fuji, are you paying attention?"

The bearded scientist jolted at his colleague addressing him, and turned to the other three with a nervous look. "M-My apologies, Dr. Zager, I was just thinking to myself…" a wistful expression wormed its way across his visage as he watched the display. "While I am...appreciative for having a break, my thoughts are still stuck on the cloning project."

"Right, the very 'hush-hush' project that the boss has you on…" Zager adjusted his glasses as he turned to the bearded man curiously. "Uh, w-what was it that you're cloning, again?"

"...My dead daughter," Fuji replied sadly.

The three stared at him, then let out exasperated sighs at his statement.

"What a useless thing to test it for," Zager muttered.

"Using it for an..._emotional_ _reason_...what a waste of science," Namba grumbled.

"To each their own, I suppose," Sebastian mused. The Professor steepled his fingers as the livefeed connected. "Perfect! Are we ready to start emitting the EIW?"

"Just about, sir!" one of the technicians called out. "There are 27 individuals in range for the test. If things go well, we estimate that at least half of them should feel the full effects."

"Even if the number is lower, we can still continue testing," the Professor took a deep breath, and a soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "We'll have more than enough time to iron this out before next presentation quarter. Start the Emitter!"

"Yessir!"

"Dr Zager, Dr. Namba, Dr. Fuji...I'm glad you could be here to witness this revolution," Sebastian adjusted his glasses as the livefeed rippled slightly. "No longer will we need to wait while they flounder around and dawdle as weaklings. We can simply force them past that limit whenever we wish."

A small frown spread across Fuji's face as the lakewater rippled slightly on screen. "While I can understand how some would find this...helpful...I have to ask...why _them_?" the bearded scientist turned to his colleague with a nervous stare. "They have enough potential to handle even _Legendary Pokémon_. Are they really the best test subjects?"

The water quickly began churning and boiling, causing the Professor's smile to widen. "I think they're the perfect test subjects, Doctor."

***FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSHHHHHH***

"**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRR!"**

The massive eruption of water into the air was accompanied by a painful cacophony of roars and primal shrieks. Blood-red eyes and vicious fangs glinted in the early day as the pack of newly evolved Gyarados vocally assured the heavens of their all-consuming rage. Around them, less deranged members of the species began a hasty retreat, and those that couldn't escape in time were quickly beset by the rampaging group. Magikarp that were caught in the crossfire were gobbled up in single bites, or thrown into the air and flung onto the nearby beach.

Sebastian shivered in delight as the Atrocious Pokémon began shearing through the denizens of the lake. "Just wonderful! How many of them evolved?"

"Over half of the individuals we had detected. Those that didn't...well…" the technicians nervously eyed the feebly fleeing Magikarp and elderly Gyarados. "I think it's fairly obvious what's going on, sir."

"Good, good! Keep the EIW running. I want the data updated every hour, by the hour," the Professor turned to his colleagues with a smirk. "Gentlemen, I believe we have much to discuss…"

As the Professor left the room with the other scientists, he failed to notice a small flash of gold disappearing beneath the churned waves...

* * *

**Blackthorn City Hospital**

"Ughhhhh…"

"_Relax, you only have a broken arm now...how's the leg?"_

"Still a bit stiff," I said tiredly. "My toes are fine at least...my stomach still hurts from all the wood splinters and metal bits," I tugged at the collar of my hospital gown and scrutinized my torso. "Huh, a bunch of new scars then. Hopefully they don't look too ugly or something."

"_If you were a Lucario, they'd be a sign of status...depending on what you got them from, at least," _Viggo tilted his head thoughtfully. "_Not that I know what you'd get for Gyarados. Most Lucario aren't crazy enough to try that."_

"...J-Just use Thunder Punch. It's a good move against something like Gyarados."

The jackal-like Pokémon blinked owlishly at me, then stared at his paw. "_Thunder Punch? I can't actually learn that, right?"_

"You can learn Thunder Punch...and Ice Punch, also. Which is really cool, because that could be useful for catching dragons," I made to rub my hands together like a scheming mastermind, only to wince when I tried to wiggle my right arm forward. "Ugh, painful...guess I can't help you out with hands on training."

"_H-Hands on training? What are you going on about?"_

"Oh, well...I kinda wanna learn to fight too," I said sheepishly. "I mean, obviously since I'm gonna try to harness my Aura I'd need to learn how to use it. Plus, it'd be useful in case I ran into those Team Rocket idiots again...or...well…"

"_What, Darkrai?" _Viggo shrunk back slightly at my nod. "_I mean...I think the last time you went against him, you got a couple of punches in-"_

"That was 'cause I confused him and got him by surprise...also, he was on fire at one point, so there's that…" I rubbed the back of my head with my free hand. "I don't wanna let you guys do _all _the work on certain things. I'd feel useless if I did that, honestly."

My starter tilted his head blankly. "_Isn't that how it's supposed to work? I mean, most of us don't know any strategies aside from 'hit it till it dies'. You can't really give orders while you're also fighting."_

"V, you can talk, and I know most Pokémon are intelligent enough to think for themselves. If I can get strategies worked out that are easy to remember, you guys can be self-sustaining in a fight, and my only input would be on-the-fly work arounds…" a smirk tugged at my lips as I contemplated different strategies I knew of. "One strategy I can think of, is telling you to use a move you _don't _know, and it's really a signal to use one that you _do _know. For instance, I'll say 'use Fire Punch', and instead you use Blaze Kick."

"_...That's...cheap as hell…" _Viggo let out a short giggle. "_I like it! It sounds perfect!"_

"And of course there's Dragon Dance. Can't have a badass dragon type without that...I mean, you can, but if one can learn it in any way, they should have it."

"Sea! Sea, Sea!" Callie jumped onto the hospital bed and tilted her head head curiously. "Sea, Sea?"

"Hmm? Lemme guess, you wanna know what Dragon Dance does," my mouth formed into a soft smile at the water-type's eager nod. "Ok, think the move Agility, which helps you be a little faster."

"Sea, Sea!" Callie nodded, clearly enraptured by what was going to be my explanation.

"Now, mash it up with Bulk Up, and also add dragon-type energy to the mix," I waved my free hand in a nonchalant flourish. "And that's basically Dragon Dance."

"_That...doesn't sound like much. What, it just makes dragons faster and increases their dragon powers?"_

"Well, if my math is correct...it would turn even the weakest dragon-type into something that could bring down a Legendary," I tilted my head at the fighting-type's shocked expression. "That's only if you get like...two or three Dragon Dances in, of course."

"_Nuh uh! No way! That's not even possible!"_

"It is. Take for instance...Gyarados. I'm planning to get a Gyarados, and they're pretty strong. One Dragon Dance in upgrades its speed and strength to stupid levels," my face fell slightly at Viggo's disbelieving look. "You still don't seem very sold on this."

"_It still sounds freaking impossible. I mean...how? Strong and fast enough to handle Legendaries? That's just too good to be true."_

"Callie seems pretty sold on this," I motioned to the excited water-type. "And yes, you do learn Dragon Dance naturally, sweetie."

"Sea! Sea!"

"Mmmmmm...Dreeee…"

"Ooh, sorry Maggie. I keep forgetting about the whole 'nocturnal' thing," I patted the ghost-type's head apologetically. "How are you doing by the way?"

"Dre, Misdreee…"

"Yeah, I know...on the bright side, I got an interesting message from Lucia last week," I leaned over the side of my hospital bed and pulled my Pokédex out of my bag. "Apparently Val has taken well to her physical therapy. She should be home by next month or so, and we can use the Pokémon Center to call her."

Instantly the little witch was wide awake, an excited smile stretching across her face. She floated over my shoulder and leaned forward to stare at my Pokédex, a bemused giggle escaping her mouth at the image of a much healthier looking Valerie holding her hands in a peace sign.

"_So, you still wanna learn how to fight for yourself?" _the fighting-type rerouted back to the original subject.

"Yeah, maybe so that I don't have to worry about myself on the road," I set my Pokédex down and rubbed the back of my head nervously. "There's still some issues I have to work through though."

"_Well, whatever they are, you'll have to deal with them eventually," _my starter blinked as the door to my room opened. "_Speaking of dealing with things…" _

"Uh, heya Clair."

"You know you can call me 'Cousin Clair', right?"

"I...it's still just a bit weird…" I shuffled in place as I sat up straight in the hospital bed. "So, what's up?"

"Well, you're getting released from the hospital later today."

"_Finally! We've been stuck running in between here and the Pokémon Center for the past four weeks," _the fighting-type groaned. "_And it's like a half an hour walk from here, so we're always getting up early and stuff." _

"I still don't know how you're used to that," I told the bluenette.

"Hmm? Used to what?"

"_He means the whole 'talking Pokémon' thing."_

"Oh, that? I've seen plenty of those from Gym challenges…" Clair rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "It's mostly Lapras that I see it from, if I'm being honest."

"Ah, that sounds like the usual suspect," I said thoughtfully. "I mean, that's supposed to be a common thing among the species."

"_Lapras speak with Aura?"_

"N-No, they use Psychic telepathy. I'm imagining that Aura telepathy works differently from the Psychic stuff."

"_Ah, that makes sense."_

"So, know any good motels around here?" I asked my first cousin.

"...Beg your pardon?"

I quickly pulled a dictionary from my satchel, and opened the correct page, fingering the words until I reached the one I was looking for. "Motel, also known as a Lodge, Inn, resort, or Roadhouse," I began. "A motel is a roadside hotel typically designed with motorists and travelers in mind, most often having the rooms arranged in-"

"I know what a motel is," the bluenette said in exasperation.

"Oh, ok then. Know any good-"

"You are _not _going to a motel, Jareth," Clair said sternly. "You're going home."

"Haha, very funny. My old apartment back in Pallet Town has probably already been leased out, no way I can go back-"

"I meant your house," my first cousin waved her hands around. "You know...the one you own? The one you inherited from your parents."

"...Wat?!"

"T-Technically we haven't worked _that _part out yet, since it's still in mine and Lance's name," she said nervously. "Also, you're still only 13, so you can't take ownership of it until next year."

"I...have...a...house?"

"Sort of? There's certain...extras, I guess is the best terminology. They're included with the house."

"I'm imagining that it's a hot spring and a flat-screen TV."

"You have both of those, yes, but I wasn't talking about that," the bluenette said blankly.

"Ooh, this sounds like some big mystery...I'm really looking forward to finding out," I reflexively made to rub my hands together, only to wince at the spike of pain in my right arm. "Agh, keep forgetting about that. Don't you guys have something with Heal Pulse?"

"I...I don't think that would work…" Clair said flatly. "I mean, we don't even have any Pokémon that could learn-"

"_The entire Slowpoke evolution line," _Viggo deadpanned. "_The only reason I know that is because of him...and he knows that because of his tech box." _

"This thing really is the best," I said cheerfully as I closed the Pokédex. "So, I'll just get ready to leave when you-"

***CRASH***

"HIYAAAAAAH!"

I blinked wildly as a familiar bespectacled brunette in a fancy suit charged into the room after having kicked the door down. Behind her, a tired looking fire-dragon filed in alongside a slightly bruised fairy-type.

"I finally found you!" Caitlin pointed to me, a stern glare locking me in place. "You...are in so much trouble!"

** ゴ** **ゴ ゴ ゴ ゴ**

"...Oh shit!" I wheezed. "I totally forgot I was supposed to contact her after the whole Beedrill thing."

"_Y-You...you forgot?"_

"Yeah, we were so busy with getting to Blackthorn, dealing with ghosts and a murdery legendary, so I _forgot_!" I hissed lowly. "Oh man...I am _soooo_ fuc-"

"Language!" the brunette shrieked. "Jareth, you and I are gonna have a long talk about-" Caitlin blinked owlishly upon spotting the bluenette. "C-Clair?"

"Caitlin? Ohmyhelix!" my first cousin let out a high-pitched squeal as she pulled the other woman into a hug. "It's so good to see you again! I haven't seen you in years!"

"Well, you know how it is, I'm always pretty busy."

"Oh, I heard. You actually became a social worker? That's great!"

"Well, y'know I've always wanted to work with kids, so everything worked out."

"Eeep! That's incredible, I'm happy for you!"

I stared at the two women as they hugged and conversed, then rubbed the inside of my ear with my pinky in confusion. "I...I'm sorry, do you two know each other?"

"Oh yeah, we met a while back when Cait was doing the Gym Challenge for Blackthorn," Clair shrugged at my blank expression. "Of course, I was also training to take over the Gym from Lance since he was going for the championship, but that's another story."

"Yeah, Sara and I were having our normal rivalry, and then suddenly some girl with a Gyarados comes out of nowhere and knocks us and our Pokémon flat on our asses."

"You had Charizard then, right?"

"Yeah, but Togekiss hadn't evolved yet…" Caitlyn let out a tired sigh. "So when she went up against Dratini, Clair actually got a handle on us."

"Lemme guess, Iron Tail?"

"Yeah, that, and then I flunked out of dragon school-"

"Wait, you went to dragon school?" I asked the bespectacled woman.

Caitlyn instantly shrunk at my surprised look and twiddled her fingers nervously. "So, the Blackthorn Clan has this trial where if you prove your worth to them, you can get a Dratini. One of the ways you do it is to reach top marks at their dragon school…" a bead of sweat fell down her forehead as she turned away from me with a shaky grin. "I had top marks everywhere...except...well…"

"...Dragon riding."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement. The poor woman shrunk in place further, looking as though she wanted to be anywhere other than my hospital room. Some of the Pokéballs on her belt jiggled slightly, no doubt her team was more than familiar as to why she failed.

"_Hold on, I don't get it."_

I let out a short sigh at Viggo and Maggie's confused looks. "So, Caitlyn is a flying-type specialist...but she _can't _fly her flying-types," a snort escaped me at their wide-eyed expressions. "Yeah, I know right? She can stay in the air, but you wouldn't want to be a passenger."

"Shut up!" the woman in question whined petulantly. "So I've crashed every flying-type I own! It would've been different with a Dragonite!"

"No it wouldn't," Clair deadpanned.

"It says a lot about you when your own team flies better without you at the reigns than with…" I cupped a hand to my chin in thought. "On the bright side, I got plenty of flying experience."

"As a passenger! That means...wait a minute! This isn't about my past, this is about you running off into the woods after not contacting me for over two months after a hospital stay, only to end up in _another _hospital in a different region!"

"Ah...so, I was dealing with a few things, alright!" I rubbed the back of my head nervously. "First, I was still a bit wigged out cause I got stabbed by a bunch of Beedrill, and then I found out Viggo could speak-"

"_Heya, I've been able to do this since we met."_

"And then Prof. Oak wanted me to deliver a package," I shrugged sheepishly. "There was a bunch of other stuff, like a ghost girl and we fought a Darkrai, and then I got bitch-slapped into a building by a Gyarados, and that's-"

"I'm sorry, you fought a _what_?!"

"Darkrai, the Legendary Pokémon that causes nightmares...they also eat people having them, apparently."

"_Why aren't you weirded out by me? I'm literally speaking in your head!"_

"Oh, that's not really that odd," Caitlyn tilted her head in thought. "I mean, my Natu and Xatu do it all the time, and I get a few words from Swoobat here and there. I think the only one I don't have is Sigilyph."

"_I don't get this!"_

"You're so used to people being confused, it must throw you for a loop sometimes when people aren't," I hummed thoughtfully.

"Wait, how do _you _know him, Cait?" Clair stared at the woman skeptically.

"Oh, well I've been his caseworker since he was a kid. So I'm kinda responsible for him."

My cousin's face became shadowed as her mouth formed into a small frown. "So, he's been in Kanto's system, huh? We have _a lot _to talk about…"

**A couple hours later**

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Caitlyn knelt by the side of my bed and clasped her hands in front of herself while bowing her head low. "I'm sorry!"

"Cait, it's fine...I mean, it wasn't even really your fault. Baby carrier found in a ripped up clearing with blood could be anything," I shrugged blithely as I gave the bespectacled woman a reassuring smile.

"Still, I should have realized it! With Sara's Altaria he was all for your head pats the moment you met...I mean, you befriended Charizard the first time you met..._Charizard_! He's a Tsundere!"

"Raaaar?!"

"_I know, right?! Just because these bakas can't vibe with our emotions, they shame us!"_

"D-Dre…"

"_I know I'm not helping my case by saying 'Baka', alright!"_

"Cait, it's not _that _big a deal. You've been like a big sister to me for years, you were practically the only one there for me," I patted her gently on the head. "So, thank you for that. Even though things weren't exactly good for me, I'm glad I had somebody like you watching out for me."

Caitlyn stared at me with a shaky expression for several seconds before pulling off her glasses and laying them on the table beside my bed. Then she burst into tears and pulled me into a hug, mindfully avoiding my injured arm and ribs.

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she sobbed out. "I've always been worried I'd screw things up for some of the kids I worked with, that I'd make things worse for them...I'm glad that I was able to do right by you. And thank you for saying that, that I'm like a big sister to you. You don't know how much it means for me to hear it."

"Cait, thank you for being my friend," I let a sly grin spread across my face. "Also, one of these days I'm gonna mop the floor with you."

"...Pfft!" Caitlyn pulled away from the hug and wiped her tears away with a smirk. "I'll hold you to that one, kiddo," the brunette turned to Clair with a curious expression. "So, he's gonna be staying with you then?"

"Well...technically he's self-sufficient enough to be on his own, since Trainer License and all...but yeah, I'm his de facto guardian until he's 14," the bluenette tilted her head in thought. "But I have a place in mind, since my place is a bit crowded."

"W-Wait, what? Where is he gonna live?"

* * *

**A few hours later**

I blinked at the building in front of me for several seconds before rubbing my eyes with my free hand. Even after coming to terms with the fact that, yes, this was actually _my _house, I still couldn't believe it, nor could I believe the amount of associated land around it that was also mine. I turned around to stare behind me, then I turned back around to look at the house again, hoping that it had just been a hallucination from the last of the hospital drugs.

...Hmm, nope! This was definitely my new house..._somehow_.

While it wasn't a full on mansion by any means, it was quite large, at least four stories, with what I assumed to be _many _rooms. It had a very medieval aesthetic, with castle-like battlements and a few fanficul looking towers making up the roof, which I assumed could be accessed like an actual castle. Even the entrance to the house were a set of wide, stone stairs that led one of those classic double doors, like something you would see leading into a fortress.

The property line was made up by a miniature rampart wall that, fittingly, wrapped around the area like a sleeping dragon chewing on its own tail. At the far back, the wall split slightly as it connected to a small bridge that went over a large brook and drained into a sizable pond that took up a third of the backyard.

The things that really edged towards breaking the castle-like aesthetic were the modern-styled windows, and the more sensible design of the front door. The trash cans off to the side of the house, the funny looking mailbox at the front gate, and of course, the connected power and phone lines, were all what truly broke away from the medieval appearance.

"Wooooooow!" Caitlyn stared up at the house in awe. "Your parents...this place just...it's a castle?"

"Yeah, I would say it's going overboard on the whole 'dragons like castles' thing," I said nervously.

"Eh, Connie and Aerl really liked all the ones they saw in Unova, Kalos, and Galar…" the bluenette blinked at my confused look. "T-The castles, that is. They never actually caught a lot of dragons in Kalos and Galar."

"It's...so...why is it so big?" the bespectacled woman asked.

"I wish _I _knew," I glanced at Clair from the corner of my eye. "N-No, seriously, I really wanna know why."

"Well, your parents both won a _lot _of championships. It was sort of a competition between them...your mom also knew that they'd need a lot of room for their Pokémon...as well as the, uh…" the bluenette blinked at me before shying away. "Well, it might become a bit obvious later on...maybe?"

"Clair, please just tell me," I deadpanned. "Cause as much as I wanna figure out my parents, they're not exactly here to make it easier."

"_Oof, that's dark."_

"Right, you're right...grandkids," Clair sighed at my shocked look. "Yeah, your folks didn't have an easy time conceiving due to...a lot of factors, so when your mom found out you were _definitely _going to be a boy, she wanted a house that could contain all her grandkids...which she is never going to meet, unfortunately."

"Hehe...was she insane or something?" I wheezed out. "How many did she even want?"

The bluenette's lips puckered up like she had eaten something sour, and she glanced away nervously. "H-How would you feel if I said...5?"

"I'd say that's a slightly reasonable number, but that could be a bit of a handful."

"Ok, good...she didn't want just 5 though," Clair sweatdropped at my facevaulting. "I'm guessing you wouldn't feel too well if I said it was in the double digits, huh?"

"I'd say that is extremely concerning!" I held my arms over my chest in an 'X' pose. "Listen, even if I were old enough to _really _start thinking about that, I'm like one guy. The spirit may be willing, but impotence is nature's way of telling you to say 'no'."

"Gaah! I can't believe you're having those thoughts!" Caitlyn cried out.

"Cait, I'm 13 years old. The fuck do you think is running through my head?"

"Language!"

"I only speak one though," I deadpanned.

"_So...we gonna go inside?"_

I chewed the inside of my lip at my starter's question. "I...I'm not sure…"

"_Boss, this is __**your **__place now," _the fighting-type said sternly. "_You have nothing to worry about."_

I gave the jackal-like Pokémon a blank stare before shaking my head. "Technically it's _our _place now, bud."

"_I...uh...I don't-"_

"V, I know we still have a bit of a…'complex' relationship…" I knelt down to the fighting-type's eye level and gently laid my free hand on his shoulder. "But even though we've been partnered up for only a few months, I still care about you a lot."

Viggo blinked at me in awe for several seconds, before a small smile stretched across his furry face. "_T-Thanks, boss. I mean, I know I keep telling you that you don't need to say stuff like that, but…" _he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as his aura-sensors wiggled upwards. "_I'm glad I get to hear it." _

"Dre, Misdre!" Maggie floated down from my hair and gave us a happy smile. "Dre, Dre!"

"You're right, we're wasting too much time out here," I stood up and looked at the house before me with a fierce look. This was _my _house, somehow, and I was gonna make the most of it. "Alright, let's go!"

The thing about going inside a house that hasn't really seen any human occupation for over a decade…

"*Cough**Cough* W-Why?!"

"_Is this a bad time to...ah...ah..._CHIII!" Viggo rubbed his nose in annoyance. "_B-Bad time to mention I have a dust allergy?"_

"Oooh, yeah...might have skipped out on cleaning most of the place," Clair said nervously as she snuck past us through the large doorway. "I mean, I mostly focused on the front and back porch, the family pictures, the like."

"...Please tell me I have an actual room," I felt a bead of sweat going down my head at the bluenette's deadpan look. "Oh man...so, I'm gonna have to dust with one hand _and _buy new furniture."

"Y-You have a room-"

"Which I can only assume still has a seldom-used crib, right?" I felt my expression falling at her nervous look. "Yeah, I'll see if I can't get a storage container or something...I guess when you get past all the dust, this place actually looks pretty nice."

The living room was quite large and well decorated, as expected of a house this size. At the center were a few large couches and coffee tables sitting in front of a brand new wide-screen TV, all of which had clearly been used lately. At the back of the room was a large bookshelf filled with many books for dragon-type care I was already familiar with, as well as several family photos.

Two that caught my eye were front and center on the top of the shelf. The first was of my mother, or a much younger version of her, sitting in front of the camera. Atop of her head was a pink scaled Dratini giving the camera doe-eyes. Next to that picture was one of my father, both younger and in a much more ragged outfit than I had seen in the last picture of him, clearly unhappy that his Gible was chewing on his head.

I clicked my teeth silently as I scrutinized the pictures. "So...what's the story behind both of these anyway?"

"For your mom, it was pretty cut and dry. She wanted a Dratini before everybody else, and she didn't want to go through the Gyarados test to get it," Clair let out a small chuckle before shaking her head. "That's definitely something you didn't inherit from her. Your dad was a lot more patient."

"So...she just ran off one day looking for a Dratini?"

"Yup! Honestly, she lucked out with the Shiny, otherwise she would have had to wait longer than she did before," the bluenette tilted her head curiously at the other picture. "Your dad...it's a bit more complicated. His people in Hoenn, they're just as nuts about dragons as we are. So depending on your first dragon-type, you get a sign of status based on it," Clair cupped a hand to her chin in thought. "Your Aunt got a Bagon, that's usually something they always look for...your dad somehow found a Gible while he was looking for a Trapinch, since he didn't really care which dragon-type he got."

"I have an Aunt?"

"You do...she's busy," the woman said quickly before I could pry. "Let's just say she has to deal with issues involving her tribe, so she hasn't visited in a while."

"My dad was in a 'tribe'?" I blinked before squinting at the picture again. "Okay, that actually explains the low quality at least."

"That hair though…" Caitlyn chimed in. "It really explains _so _much. Was his also hydrophobic?"

"...Yes, actually."

"Yeah, I always figured it was genetic," I said blithely. A flash of light reflecting towards me caught my attention, and I turned to see some strange, clear crystal ball at the far end of the shelf. "What is _that_?"

"Oh, that's supposed to be an ancient artifact that can help you do magic," Clair shrugged at my incredulous look. "Yeah, I think it's a crock of sh-crap too, but it looks neat. I guess they just thought it was a neat decoration."

"Pfft, yeah can you believe that? I mean, _magic_? Really?" Caitlyn flinched at my deadpan expression. "Whaaaat?!"

"Magic is real though."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah, it is. Scientifically proven," I held a hand up in triumph. "I mean, we don't know _how _it works or functions, just that it exists and is useful...for some things...okay, turning people into Pokémon isn't that useful, but still-"

Clair let out a small cough to grab our attention. "Listen, I know you probably wanna explore your parent's stuff and their bedroom, see what yours looks like after all these years...maybelookattheonesthatareforyourgrandkids!"

"Wait, what was that last part-"

"But I think I should really show you the backyard."

"B-Backyard? What is it though?" Caitlyn asked absently.

"It's a yard behind a house or other building, but that's not important right now," I reassured the bespectacled woman. "What's in the backyard that's so important anyway?"

"Oh...just come and see!" Clair said cheerfully, before grabbing me by my free arm and pulling me towards the back of the house. "I promise you'll like it."

"Wait, I haven't finished-Ooh, this is a really nice kitchen," I said absentmindedly as we passed through. "Like, it's really big and there's a lot of cupboards-ooh, my last kitchen didn't have an island-"

"Jareth, focus! We're going to the backyard."

"_I'm not exactly following this either," _Viggo said exasperatedly as he kept pace beside us. The fighting-type looked up to maggie with a curious expression. "_Do you have any idea what's up with her?"_

"Dre, Misdreee!"

"_Okay, I walked right into that one…"_

When Clair opened the back door, I was greeted by the smell of pine trees and crisp mountain air. The babbling sounds of the brook gave way to loud hoots from different flying-types and tree-dwelling Pokémon. The center of the large pond bubbled like a hot spring, and a large green rock nestled deep into the bank on the far left.

"...Right, my new backyard," I leaned over to the bluenette with a confused expression. "Clair, what's supposed to be back here?"

"Just give it a few seconds," Clair said lowly. "Once _he _realizes I'm here, he'll be wide awake."

My two Pokémon and I blinked at the woman's statement. My old social worker/big sister figure blinked at the woman's statement. I stared at the backyard for several seconds before letting out a small cough.

"D-Doesn't seem like he knows yet."

"_Do the Blackthorns always act all cryptic?"_

"No, just the really old ones," Caitlyn said nonchalantly.

"What was _that _you just said?" Clair hissed ominously.

"I'm saying you sound like your grandpa," the brunette wiggled her finger teasingly at my cousin. "Seriously, I remember when I first saw him at dragon school, and he always spoke in cryptic word salads. You're starting to go down the same route~"

"I ain't old just you young missy!" the bluenette sagged slightly once she realized what she had just said. "I'm really not helping my case…"

"So, what? There's a guy I'm supposed to meet?"

Clair perked up suddenly and glanced to the side, before giving me a wide smile. "There's two actually, and you'll figure it out soon enough…"

"_Ugh, more cryptic bullshit? Why is-"_

***BLUB**BLURP**BLUP**BLUP**BLUP**BLURP**BLUP**BLURP***

Viggo blinked as the pond churned and boiled as some black shape undulated beneath the water. The green rock on the bank jittered a bit, but remained nearly motionless as the pool rose around it. A familiar serpentine shape emerged from the pond, water cascading from around its massive form as it raised its head to stare at us from his left eye.

While my last experience with a Gyarados had been...less than pleasant, there was something _very _different about this one. Instead of the mindlessly rage-fueled glare that was so fresh in my memory, his gaze was extremely calm and calculating, if not curious. No sneering and snarling either, his teeth remained sheathed and his mouth formed a flat line rather than a deep frown.

And this one was _old_, I could tell. Aside from the myriad of scars that must have been from decades past, several of his scales were either chipped or missing. For the ones that weren't, their once deep blue coloring now borderlined on dark-grey in his advanced age. This guy was too old to get seriously mad at every little thing like the one that had bitch-slapped me into a house, the only way he'd ever rampage was if you were trying to make it happen.

As he turned to acknowledge Clair, I felt my heart seize up slightly. A massive pair of jagged scars ran over his right eye, and the once blood-red orb was now completely white. When his good eye zeroed in on me, he went completely stiff, and his expression morphed into one of shock and confusion, as if he were seeing a ghost. The water dragon slithered forward, still giving me an owlish look, and leaned his massive head towards me.

Then he _warbled_. No, no roaring, growling, hissing, or even grumpy old man grumbles. He full on warbled like a singing bird. While it was extremely jarring to hear that from a Gyarados of all things, it was almost...familiar. Not just the noise, but rather the water-type himself.

I reached up with my free hand and gently rubbed the sea dragon's trident-shaped horn, much to his delight. I flinched back slightly at the deep rumbling noise, but my nerves settled once I felt the familiar vibrations running through my body and the ground.

"_Are...are they supposed to purr?" _Viggo asked from behind me.

"Most dragons purr, but people don't really hear anything about it because they usually focus on the negative...t-the positive too, but for Gyarados it's usually negative," Clair cleared her throat before taking a step towards me. "Do you remember him, Jareth?"

"...Nope."

"E-EH?!" the bluenette half-facevaulted at this. "B-But...you're petting him and everything! You did the same thing as a baby!"

"Yeah, normal infants start forming actual memories at around 3 years old," I said nonchalantly, continuing to rub Gyarados's horn despite his equal amount of confusion. "That said...I mean, I always knew that I recognized the sound of a Gyarados purring, and I couldn't have gotten that from anywhere else," I winced slightly as the water-dragon nuzzled close to my chest, but chuckled regardless as he continued purring happily. "I guess it's good to see you again too, big guy...all things considered."

"So...that's...his mom's?" Caitlyn asked nervously. At her old friend's slow nod, the brunette twiddled her fingers nervously. "Hehe, I didn't think a Pokémon Battle would get so out of hand, for him to have lost his eye and all."

Clair's expression darkened as she eyed the woman stiffly. "He didn't lose it from a Pokémon Battle…"

The bespectacled woman blinked for a few seconds before going ghost pale. "You mean, he lost it when-"

"Yeah, he's one of the only four who survived," the bluenette said sadly. "I always wondered if the-ugh, if whoever did it just left two Pokémon alive per trainer, just because."

"And suddenly I feel both pissed off and concerned at the same time…" I furrowed my brows in confusion before turning back to my cousin. "Wait, you said two? What do you mean by that?"

"Two of your mom's Pokémon survived, same with your dad's. His were taken in by his family, but one went back to the wild...it's complicated…"

Suddenly, my mom's Gyarados lifted his head away from us and turned towards the large rock nearby. He let out a loud hissing sound, almost like a growl if he were rolling the noise on his tongue. The rock on the bank wobbled in response, then it expanded...or rather, it unfurled from its curled position.

I knew it was shiny from the pictures, but seeing a Dragonite in person regardless was always going to be like a dream come true for me, just for the pure majesty they emitted. While he didn't have as many scars as Gyarados, they were there at least. One of his antennae was shorter than the others, likely for the same reason the water-type lacked an eye. As he lifted himself off the ground, I felt my heart drop; one of his wings, which would have been strong enough to power him through the air at three times the speed of any airplane, was missing to the point that there wasn't even a stump.

His antennae wiggled around as he gave the water-type a tired glare, and he let out an annoyed cry. Gyarados responded with a trilling warble and nodded his head towards me, causing the dragon-type to furrow his brows in confusion before turning to us. When the shiny caught sight of me, he made a few confused sniffs before tilting his head with a look of disbelief.

I blushed a little bit as I gave him a small wave. "Uh...heya...I don't actually remember you, but-"

"BWAAAAAAAAA!"

"Eh?!" I blinked as the dragon-type began charging towards me, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. I took a small step back as he grew closer. "Uh...Clair...I am very concerned."

"Well, I hope he understands that you're still sort of injured...but…" Clair sweatdropped as Dragonite let out another cry. "He's also a hugger."

I cringed as I was suddenly pulled into a bear hug by a crying dragon-type as he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. Despite the bead of sweat going down the side of my face, a small smile tugged at the corners of my lips as my hand moved to rub the area around his horn.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm here, I'm real, I promise."

"B-Bwaaaaa!"

"Calm down, everything is gonna be ok…" I tilted my head to look at my cousin. "So...mom's first Pokémon?"

"Yup!"

"What happened to his wing?" I sweatdropped at Gyarados's grim expression. Dragonite froze slightly before pulling away from the hug with a solemn expression, to which I held a hand up defensively. "Uh, hey! I'm sorry if it's a sore subject!"

The dragon-type blinked at me for a few seconds, then smiled happily as he wiped his tears away. "B-Bwaaaaa!" he then pulled me into yet another bear-hug, barely holding back from crushing my already injured torso. "Bwaaaaaa!"

"He lost it when your parents...yeah," Clair rubbed the back of her head nervously. "It's kinda hard for him, since flying is _everything _to Dragonite."

I frowned at this and gave the dragon a gentle neck rub. "I'm glad I get to see you again, even if I don't remember you," I let out a small chuckle as Gyarados slithered over and coiled around us in a serpentine hug, purring all the way. "Yes, you too big guy."

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Maggie floating over slowly. The ghost-type flew towards Gyarados with a suspicious expression, before descending towards Dragonite. Then she pressed herself into the larger Pokémon's chest, to which he let out a happy cry in response.

"Hey, V! Come and get in on this!"

"_I...I mean, Gyarados, Dragonite...flying-types, so I don't-"_

"You're not gonna get hurt by touching them, V," I said gently. "Come on, dragon hugs are awesome!"

"_I don't really think-EEP!" _the fighting-type squirmed as a blue glow outlined him, and he was lifted into the air and pulled towards us. He sent a comical glare to the little ghost as he fell in between me and Dragonite. "_That was not fair! I didn't-Oooh, Dragonite hugs are nice…"_

"Bwaaa!"

"_I have no idea what you mean by that, but your scales are really soft for some reason…"_

* * *

"So, you're gonna have a talk with your superiors?"

Caitlyn glanced at her old friend out of the corner of her eye. "Y-Yeah, definitely. I mean, it's just a little bit fishy that we didn't check with the Johto system for this."

"It does seem pretty strange, for them to just ignore a possibility like that…" Clair's shoulders sunk as she cupped a hand to her chin in thought. "I mean, it wouldn't be too weird, since they've been having a lot of issues after that war and all."

"...You know something, don't you?"

"W-Well, I'm not saying that there was some shady stuff going on, but I think I have an idea as to why we didn't know he was still alive."

"And what would the reason be?"

"Certain _people_, with certain _connections_, may have used those connections to wipe him off the face of existence," the bluenette sighed tiredly as she rubbed the back of her head. "I have no idea _why_, since Aerl and Connie never did anything to _them_, or gave them a reason to do it, but it isn't the first time they've done this."

"It's just supposed to be less random, I'm guessing?" Caitlyn hummed thoughtfully at Clair's slow nod. "Who...who was it?"

"What?"

"The people who killed his parents, who are they?" the brunette frowned when she saw her old friend stiffen. "You don't wanna tell me, is that right?"

"It's just...I'd like to tell him before I tell anybody else," Clair turned back to her first cousin with a soft expression as she watched him and his team hug the two elder dragons. "I don't plan on telling him until he's at least 14, when he can _hopefully _handle it...he hasn't been a trainer for more than a few months at best, so it'd be a lot to push on him."

Caitlyn sagged a bit before turning back to the boy in question as he hugged all of the Pokémon around him. "He seems really happy…like, way more than I've seen him in a while," she tilted her head in thought. "I mean, his summer camp was like a close second to that, but this is just..."

"Imagine what he'll be like when he gets an _actual _dragon-type," the bluenette snorted as the image appeared in her head. "I'm worried he'll have a heart attack or something. Hopefully he handles it like a mature-pfft! What am I saying?! He's Connie's kid, of course he's gonna act like she did."

"You remember it?"

"Che, yeah I was like 5 or something, and I still remember how happy she was," Clair shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I'm guessing it's gonna be about the same...what do you think he'd manage to grab?"

"Knowing him, it'll be something exotic," the brunette chuckled as she cupped a hand to her chin. "Probably something like a Drampa. Those are pretty nice, right?"

"Oh yeah, I have one! He's pretty sweet...but I doubt he'd find one all the way in Kanto," the dragon-master squinted at the boy. "Considering all the cave routes in Kanto and Johto, I'm betting something in a cave, so...Noibat would be my guess. I mean, we haven't had a population of them in centuries, but they're not too on the nose."

"Ah helix! Please continue to remind me of the many flying-types I never got to catch...but yeah, it'd probably be something small."

"I'm personally hoping he can just be given a Trapinch, or an Applin," Clair let out a small sigh. "As long as he gets something that's not high maintenance, I can sleep easy."

* * *

"_...I'm still not sure about this," _Viggo said nervously.

"_Quiet! Dragon huggies best huggies!" _Maggie giggled as she bounced on the large dragon-type's stomach. "_Ma~, Onee-chan is gonna have the best life...and Onii-chan's mom wanted grandkids! That means little nieces and nephews!" _

"_I...I think you're a little bit too obsessed with that," _the fighting-type sweatdropped at the little ghost's giggling. He turned to the aged dragon with a curious expression. "_So...his mom, huh? What was she like?"_

Dragonite held a claw to his chin in thought. "_I guess she is -was- about the same as you described Jareth," _he shook his head to rid himself of his solemn expression. "_I mean, the first time I met her, I was just hanging out on a rock, and then suddenly some strange girl came up to me and was talking so fast that I couldn't understand her...aside from the whole 'pink Dratini' stuff she was going on about."_

"_At least yours is better. I knew a family of Shinies back home...all that yellow was just...tacky…" _the jackal-like Pokémon flinched as he noticed their water-type slithering over to Gyarados. "_Uhh...that looks really bad."_

"_Relax, it's just a thing water-dragons do," _Dragonite lifted himself off the ground, much to the annoyance of the ghost-type, and motioned for Viggo to step forward. "_Here, check this out!"_

Calypso tilted her head at Gyarados, unflinching beneath his monstrous frame and frigid gaze. The smaller water-type puffed up her cheek and let out a small huff, an action that was matched by the water-dragon's snarl and low rumbling.

Then she spat a glob of water onto his face.

"_...Why?!" _the fighting-type wheezed out in his actual voice. "_That looks so __**very **__dangerous! Is she trying to get herself kill-"_

Gyarados then spat a glob of water onto the small Horsea, completely drenching her in water. Callie blinked slightly before shaking herself, and letting out several happy bubbles. The larger water-dragon purred in response.

"_W-What just happened?!"_

"_Oh, that's just how water-dragons introduce each other," _Dragonite said nonchalantly.

"_They...they spit water on the other?" _Maggie asked confusedly. "_What does that do though?"_

"_It let's them figure out the other one based on how the water vibrates when it hits them...or how well it seeps into their skin? I never really asked, they just do it alot," _the aged dragon shook his head tiredly. "_Even Gyarados to other Gyarados...and you'd think they'd do the combat thing…"_

"_C-Combat thing?" _Viggo asked nervously.

"_Oh, right! So, if you ever meet a random dragon-type, be prepared for a fight," _Dragonite twiddled his claws nervously. "_We uh...we like to introduce ourselves to humans and Pokémon by fighting the strongest of the group…"_

Viggo stared at the dragon-type with an owlish look for several seconds, before sighing. "_Maybe I should figure out that Ice Punch thing…"_

* * *

"Alright, so sleeping on the couch...huh, haven't had one to sleep on in a while, now that I think about it," I snorted as my 'seat' purred happily. "Although, I guess I'm not _technically _on the couch, just at the bottom. Still way comfier here though."

"Bwa!"

"_Pfft, yeah this is nice…"_

"Dre, Misdre!"

"_Wait, I was busy hanging out with your mom's mons. Where'd your cousin and that crash girl go?"_

"Eh, Caitlyn went out to call her job, and Clair...I think something to do with Dragon Taming school," I shrugged before grabbing the nearby remote. "What matters is that we now have an _actual _TV, with actual televised shows."

"_That's kinda what a TV entails…"_

"And from what Clair said, we have on-demand too," I flicked the TV on, furrowed my brows at the subpar documentary that was on, and went to on-demand in a heartbeat. "Alright, just gotta find it...AHA! There it is!"

"_W-What? You're acting all nuts over...oh!" _Viggo frowned as he saw the artistic cover of the show I had picked. "_An Anime? Ah shit, here we go again…"_

"V, this isn't _just _an Anime-"

"_Okay, before you start with 'this isn't just an Anime', let me tell you exactly how many times I've heard that from somebody and it just ended up being about this high school girl with huge boobs," _the fighting-type let out an annoyed sigh. "_And I mean like some serious honkers...a real set of badonkers, packing some dobonhonkeros...massive dohoonkabhankoloos, big old tonhongerekoogers!"_

"I...what?!"

"_And just when you think it can't get any weirder, this new transfer student shows up with even bigger bonkhonagahoogs...Humungous hungolomghnonoloughongous!"_

"Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is not about _that_!" I said with a highly offended tone.

"_Yeah, sure boss," _the jackal-like Pokémon leaned back with a dissatisfied look. "_I'm 99% sure it's gonna be like-"_

***CLICK***

**[Play: Jojo (Sono Chi no Sadame) - Hiroaki "TOMMY" Tominaga]**

"_...What...is...this?!"_

"One of the greatest masterpieces of all time...well, not as great as Lucky Star," I shrugged slightly before leaning forward, smiling as the opening reached its climactic point. "I just know you'll enjoy this. The main characters are always nuts about justice and honor, kinda like the Riolu line."

"_That...that doesn't mean I'll enjoy it-Oh wow, is that Pokémon power he's using?"_

"You'll see in a bit," I said cheerfully as the opening finished.

"**SONO CHI NO SADAMEEEEEEEEE! JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOJOOO!"**

***A few hours later***

"Farewell...Erina…" Jonathan choked out on screen as fire obscured his newlywed wife from his view.

"L-Let me go, Jojo!" Dio hissed angrily. "Think about it! You'd like a shot at eternity, right? I can heal your wounds...you can live forever with Erina, Jojo!"

Dio's eyes widened at Jonathan's lack of response. The vampire's rage grew by the second as his adoptive brother remained silent.

"**Jojo!**" the blonde's anger faltered when he looked at the blue-haired man's face once again, and he finally noticed the now dull blue eyes staring off into space. "He...he's...he's dead…"

At this, Jonathan's head slumped forward lifelessly. The scene began fading to white as the two dead brothers were locked in what seemed to be a final embrace. Lines of text popped into existence near the hero, telling us what we already knew.

"**Jonathan Joestar. Died February 7, 1889." **

"_I...I can't believe it...the main character...died…" _Viggo stared in shock at the scene before him, then tears began to well up in his eyes. "_That man...that __**wonderful **__man! Why must the good die young?!"_

I held my hands up as tears flowed freely from my own eyes. "Look how they massacred my boy…"

"_I was wrong! I was so wrong! I thought it was gonna be fanservice meant to cater to the ideal male fantasy! I shouldn't have been so doubtful!"_

"Woah, hey! Jonathan _is _my ideal male fantasy," I blinked as my Pokémon stared at me in shock. "No homo…"

"_And the fights! The strategies! The powers they used! Incredible!" _Viggo held up a clenched paw as a fierce look spread across his face. "_I'll find a way to recreate it! I'll become a Hamon master!"_

"I'd say we'll figure out how to weaponize Sunny Day? Maybe use it to power Thunder Punch?" I shrugged. "I mean, I'd be up to helping you figure it out. Sounds super cool."

"_It is super cool! That really was an incredible watch!"_

"Dre, Misdre…"

"Bwaa…"

"_Oh yeah, you guys are right," _the fighting-type snorted at my confused look. "_They liked it too, but they're sad that it's over."_

I blinked for a few seconds before letting out a full on barking laugh. The Pokémon around me gave me concerned looks as I figuratively burst my guts out for several minutes. Finally I wiped a tear from my eye and gave them a sly grin.

"Who said it was over?"

"_...Say psych right now!"_

***CLICK***

**[Play: BLOODY STREAM - Coda]**

"_F-FOR REAL?! But Jonathan died!"_

"So? He had a fun night with Erina beforehand at least," I let out a small chuckle. "What do you think that leads to?"

"_...But, h-how? I know I have no idea how that __**actually **__works, but it should at least take a while to-"_

"He probably used Hamon Overdrive on his...well…" I shook my head as the dark forms of the Pillar Men came into view. "All parts after part one follow Jonathan's descendants...well, except for part 7, that's after the universe was reset, but we'll get to that one later."

"_This is amazing! I wonder what this new one is gonna be like!"_

"Dre, Misdre."

"_Okay, come on! So maybe Jonathan was a __**tiny **__bit boring, doesn't mean things weren't interesting. This guy might be good-"_

"Dre, Misdreavus."

"_You'll believe it when you see it? Well-"_

"Then get ready to believe Maggie," I said happily. "Because we've got all week to get through this show."

* * *

**One week later**

"Alright, what else do I need...pens and pencils?"

"_Check!"_

"Notebooks?"

"_Check!" _

"Textbooks?"

"_Check!"_

"Maggie?"

"_Yare Yare Daze, she's in your hair…" _

"Just have to make sure," I said nervously. "I mean, this is my first day in dragon tamin school, and I'll be there for a few months just to make sure I know everything I can."

"_I mean, you already know every random dragon fact there is. Like...I wouldn't have known that Dragonite antennae are like crazy strong sensory organs. I just thought they were for show." _

"Hey, there could be something I don't know…" I furrowed my brows in thought as I cupped my free hand to my chin. "Clair said she'd meet me at orientation...I wonder how I'm gonna get through it with one arm."

"_Eh, should be fine. I mean, they'll probably give you a pass on certain things…like tests and stuff...this is that kind of school, right?"_

"They probably do give exams, yes," I finished packing everything into my satchel and turned to the door. I felt a dryness in my throat for a few split seconds before sighing. "Alright, time to head out then."

"Bwaa?"

"Relax, Dragonite! I'll be back, I promise," I gave the dragon-type a small headpat before heading out. "Oh, Callie is still hanging around in the pond with Gyarados. I left some food for her in case she wakes up, do you think you could make sure she gets it?"

Dragonite held a hand up and gave me a cheerful grin. "Bwaaa!"

"Thanks! Oh, and don't freak out if she eats too much, she kinda has a complex about it and whatnot."

"Bwaa."

"Yeah, I'll see you later bud," I called out to the aged dragon. I turned back to my starter and patted him on the head. "Alright, time to get going!"

Once I had gotten out of the house, and more than a few feet away from the front gate, I quickly realized my problem...I had no idea where I was going. I fought down a cold sweat and continued along like I knew exactly what I had to do, all while hoping that Viggo was none the wiser. It was after we made the third circle around the same block that the fighting-type caught on.

"_Hey boss? Do you...know where we're going?"_

"...N-No, I don't."

"_Ah, damn! So what's the plan then?"_

"I was just gonna wait for Clair to figure out she didn't tell me...or for some insane stroke of luck to happen that would put me in the right direction," I flinched at my starter's owlish look. "What?! Don't give me that look, knowing me it'll probably happ-"

***BANG***

"AAGhghaHAa!" I winced as I fell back on my ass, and turned to glare at the person who had run into me at high speeds. My rage faltered a bit when I found myself looking at a familiar blue-haired kuudere with red eyes. "R-Rei?"

"_Oh hey, it's that girl that doesn't emotion right...you think she's heading to Dragon School?" _Viggo turned to the girl before I could even respond. "_Hey! Are you heading to Dragon School?"_

"V, she's probably heading to Dragon School...Ugh, I'm gonna have a bump on my head now. At least I didn't land on my arm," I lifted myself off the ground while tilting my head at the girl. "So, nice to run into you I guess...or, you ran into me…"

The bluenette stood up and bowed slightly. "My aporogeezz fer hithng yu…"

"...Oh, I see what's going on! So you like to run at high speeds while holding a piece of toast in your mouth," I nodded towards the bread she still carried between her lips. "And I thought the PSAs about how dangerous that could be would have reached the entire generation by now."

"_He's right! I've seen massive traffic pile ups because of that!" _

"Just toast your toast earlier, like I do."

"I thee," Rei blinked a bit before shaking her head and pulling the toast from her mouth. "Thank you for the...unwanted social commentary and breakfast advice. And again, my apologies for hitting you."

"So, you're heading to Dragon School, right?"

"I am heading to the school for Dragon Tamers, not the one for dragons," the bluenette cocked her head to the side. "But yes, I am heading to Dragon Taming school."

"Aww, sweet! Is it cool if I follow you?" I shrunk slightly at her confused look. "I...I have no idea where it is, and I've literally been walking around in a circle just to make it look like I'm doing something."

Rei turned away with a small hum and began walking. "Do as you wish…"

"Alright, cool beans!" I smiled as my body contorted into Giorno's classic pose.

"...May I ask why you and your Riolu are posing like that?"

I blinked when I noticed Viggo posing like Joseph from part 2. "Uh...Chronic Compulsive Posing Disorder," I shrugged nervously at the girl's deadpan expression. "It's a real condition, you can look it up."

"I see…"

I sweatdropped as the girl continued walking away. "I'm never gonna be able to read that girl."

"_You'll probably figure her out," _Viggo said nonchalantly as we started walking. "_I'm just confused as to where she fits."_

"What does that mean?"

"_Okay, so you mentioned how you had your childhood friend, and then we also have Valerie-oh, don't say a word about this to Maggie," _the fighting-type somehow pulled a clipboard from nowhere and began jotting something down. "_Also we have the twins...and to be honest, we'd only need one pink-haired girl in the harem-"_

"Viggo!" I hissed lowly. "I do _not _have a harem!"

"_Sure, sure! As I was saying, maybe we should drop one of the joys, that way we have only one pink-haired girl. We gotta make sure it's orderly...at least, that's what all my 'research' says." _

"I thought you didn't even like those shows!"

"_I don't, but the market is saturated with them."_

"Just wait until the Isekai genre blows up," I said hotly. "I'm pretty sure we'll _really _see what oversaturation looks like."

...Ironic that _I _would say something like that, huh?

"_Do you think she's creeped out that we're following her?"_

I blinked at the question, and glanced at the bluenette nervously. "She said 'do as you wish', so I don't think so…"

"_Something about her is just off in general," _the fighting-type tapped a paw to his chin. "_I can't figure it out thought."_

"It's probably something that'll be relevant later on," I tilted my head in thought as a sour look spread across my face. "Speaking of relevance, it's been a while since I've said my old catchphrase."

"_You have a __**catchphrase**__?"_

"Oh yeah, when I was in summer camp I used to say 'Tra la la' a lot when I was doing stuff," I shrugged nonchalantly at my starter's bewildered look. "It was a different time...still, that gives me an idea on my outfit...nice black boots, super cool fantasy-esque cloaks, a sparkly jacket with a frilly shirt underneath, and contoured pants that make my ass look good*."

"_I...I think that sounds weird…" _

"I dunno, I think it sounds cool. Definitely the kind of style I'd like," a small grin tugged at my lips as I straightened my collar. "It'd be total cash."

"_I doubt that_," the fighting-type deadpanned. "_So, how do we know when we're the Dragon Tamer school anyway?"_

I tilted my head as a large building came into view. "I think it's pretty obvious…"

The building looked almost like the stereotypical 'Magical Academy' that you would see in anime and movies. A red roof, wall systems made of gold-colored stone with red bricks interspersed throughout, and windows that gleamed like bright crystals, with the large oculus at the top holding a flower-like symbol within it. Atop the gate sat two Dragonite statues that faced each other with menacing stances.

"...Wait a minute! Isn't this the Blackthorn Gym?"

"It is, but it also serves as the Clan's school for Dragon Tamers," Rei tilted her head thoughtfully as she walked up to the gate. "There are also classes for those who aren't in the Clan proper."

"Doesn't Clair have Gym challenges sometimes?"

"The students are allowed to watch," the bluenette said offhandedly. "If only because some of the younger children enjoy watching it."

"Pfft! Why would I wanna _watch_ a battle…so-"

"I would advise against challenging me," Rei said calmly. "Mostly because it would save yourself the embarrassment."

"Okay, hurtful!" I whined. "Also, I think that-"

"**Brrrrrr…"**

I blinked slightly as a small grumble resounded from beside me and a puff of hot air blew across my face. When I turned to look, I found a familiar blue and fishy face staring back at me with a permanent scowl etched on its face. The Gyarados I had met months prior, and while I was glad I knew I had a family, the chain of events that caused it...oh shit!

"_Oh no no no no!" _Viggo backed away and prepared an Aura Sphere. "_It's that guy that threw you into a building!"_

"Yeah, and he's also a flying type!" Aura Sphere ain't gonna do shit!" I turned back to the water-dragon with a nervous smile. "H-Heya, Gyarados...so, lovely day we're having, huh?"

"Bagon!"

***FWOOSH***

I shook my head as Rei released a little blue dinosaur creature in front of the water-type. The bluenette darted to my side and gave the larger dragon a dark glare.

"Not that I'm not against the whole 'protective girl' thing goin' on here, but-"

"I would rather _not _have a repeat of your 'sorcery' saving my life," Rei deadpanned. "Now stay behind me while Bagon and I handle this."

"Bay, Bayyygaawn!"

"I'm certain you will survive. Deino needs to rest anyway."

I tilted my head as Gyarados shuffled back slightly, and I finally noticed the way his jaw was set. The poor thing was _cringing_, and the way his eyes darted around to look anywhere but towards me...oh man…

"Wait! Rei, stop!"

"Eh?" I blinked as a trainer began speeding towards us from further down the path. "Is that his trainer?"

"That would be Carrie, yes."

"_...Hey, boss...she kinda looks like…"_

I could figure out what Viggo was getting at as Carrie slowed down, giving me a view of her finer features. Give me a slightly less conservative outfit, remove the poofieness of the hair, give me a lighter skintone, change my nose just a tad to be a little crooked...also, make me a _girl_, and you'd get the picture.

"...Are we...related by any chance?" I asked the new girl nervously.

"Oh, right!" the purple-haired girl stood up and held her hand out. "I'm Carrie, I'm one of your cousins...distant cousins...my mom was your mom's cousin."

"So, same as Clair?" I asked as I shook her hand half-heartedly.

"Yes, that!" Carrie shook her head before jumping to her water-dragon's side and pulling him into a hug. "Listen, this isn't what it looks like! Gyarados is _really _sorry about what he did, and he's not normally like that, I promise!"

"...So, he wants to apologize?"

"Y-Yeah...well, obviously he can't apologize himself," my newly identified cousin twiddled her fingers nervously. "Because he's can't speak people speak...but if he could, he would-"

"How do we know he isn't going to attack again?"

"Rei?!" I wheezed out.

"A Gyarados can fly off the handle at any time, regardless of whether or not it has a gentle nature," the bluenette cocked her head to the side with a deadpan glare. "I will bring Deino out if I have to…"

"Please do _not _do that!" the purple-haired girl croaked. "Once Deino start biting, they don't stop and it becomes a big problem, and yours is worse because it has Thunder Fang, and-"

"_Hold on! I have an easy solution to this!" _Viggo took a few steps towards the water-type, patted his chest, and cleared his throat. "Ri, Riolu?"

"**Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…"**

"_Alright, he says he's sorry," _the fighting-type said cheerfully.

"Alrighty then, problem resolved!"

"Did your Pokémon just talk?!" Carrie cried out.

"...Oh man, this is gonna be a regular thing, huh?"

"_I mean, I'll get used to it, but you're right about curbing it."_

I waved my hand towards my cousin as I walked towards the front doors. "I'd like to get to know you more, since we're family and all, so let's walk and talk," I turned to the bluenette as she returned her dragon-type. "Rei will just...not talk like she always does, I guess."

"That is what I'd prefer, yes…"

**Several minutes later**

"So, you're just waiting for the year to be up, and you'll get your Dratini?" I asked as we walked through the Gym hallway.

"Yeah, but I have to prove I can keep Gyarados from rampaging," Carrie sweatdropped as the water-type looked away from her bashfully. "Easier said than done though. Whenever he does, I have to be there to constantly make sure he's getting beaten up-"

"Woah, woah! No! That is not how I would do it," I said hotly. "Listen, have you tried figuring something else out?" I heard a huff behind us and turned to Rei with a deadpan expression. "What? You have some input?"

"Using stronger Pokémon to reign in a rampaging Gyarados is the only way to keep them under control."

"You're not controlling their rampages properly, you're just giving them a Pavlovian response to it," I growled. "Think about it! If you have the strongest members of your team gang up on your Gyarados, is he gonna rampage again?"

"W-Well, obviously not," the purple-haired girl said nervously. "Once they start beating him up, he usually calms down. Last time was the outlier because I couldn't get set up in time, but with enough time he should be less likely to rampage at all."

"And why do you think he'll be less likely to rampage?"

"Because being wailed on...calms him down?"

"No, no it does not," I said flatly. "It makes it so that he associates rampaging with getting beaten up. The reason he'll stop rampaging is because every time he gets close to it, he remembers that the rest of your team ganged up on him and beat him to a pulp, not because he's calm," I held a finger up and cocked my head to the side. "It's like those old experiments they did in Kalos with Furfrou. They rang a bell and fed them, and then every time they rang the bell the Furfrou reacted as though they were about to be fed. It works with humans too, so it's not just Pokémon psychology at play here."

"So, you're saying I'm not helping Gyarados by beating him up?" Carrie asked in horror.

"No, you're psychologically damaging him in order to get a negative trait under control."

"Be that as it may, there are no other ways to reign in a Gyarados," Rei said matter-of-factly. "Even your mother had to do it, from what I've been told."

"...Well that's her, not me," I said hotly. "I'm gonna train _my _Gyarados the _right _way...when I get it, that is."

"And what is the 'right' way to train a Gyarados?"

"Uh, I dunno, be nice to it like normal Pokémon? Maybe give it a correct outlet for its rage? Make it so that it can rampage during a fight if it wants, and only if you're sure it can hold itself back when doing so," I shrugged and clicked my teeth. "I mean, a rampaging Gyarados is a healthy Gyarados. I just feel like something is wrong with it if it isn't just _slightly _angry at everything in existence."

"_Uh...w-what about your mom's?"_

"He's still pissed off at everything, V. You can see it in his eyes..._eye_...it's just, he's really old, so he can't do much about it."

"Your method would be liable to get somebody killed...several somebodies," Rei said flatly. "I think it would be better if you followed the normal method. As the saying goes, 'do not fix what is not broken'."

I held a finger up, then dropped it. "I...if I can't tame a Gyarados by being nice, then I'll concede defeat. But I just have a _lot _of hangups on hurting Pokémon, even in self-defense."

"That is...understandable, I suppose."

"_So, what's orientation for the place like anyway?" _Viggo shrunk back just a bit as the two girls sent him varying looks. "_If you don't mind me asking, that is…"_

"I still can't get over the fact that he talks," Carrie shook her head before turning to the fighting-type with a smile. "Well, we go to this big room where the Gym Battles usually take place, and then-"

"Carrie!"

"Hmm?" I tilted my head as a tall man with dark, spiky hair walked over.

"D-Dad? Uh...I was just walking with-"

"Your cousin?" the man cocked his head towards me and gave me a soft smile. "It's good to see you again, Jareth."

"Lemme guess, held me as a baby?"

"Yeah, but you probably wouldn't remember it," he laid a hand on my shoulder and leaned down just a bit. "My name is Theo, but you can just call me Uncle Teddy. It's good to see you alive, kiddo."

"W-Wait, aren't you technically my first cousin removed like Clai-"

"Uh, Carrie...why is Gyarados out?"

The purple-haired girl hopped on one foot and twiddled her fingers. "Uh...he wanted to apologize to Jareth."

"I see...he's gonna need to be in his Pokéball for the orientation."

"Ugh, I've been in this school since I was six, and they still have that rule? If I can't have Gyarados out, why does Rei's mom get to keep her Garchomp out?"

"She isn't my mother," the bluenette said curtly as she began to walk away.

"R-Right, sorry Rei!"

"Woah, guessing there's some backstory here I don't know about," I hummed thoughtfully as Rei stormed off.

"Sweetie, you know the reason why," Theo said gently. "Some of the really little kids will get scared of him."

"That's no fair! Gyarados is a big cuddle-bug...when he's not rampaging," Carrie let out a huff and gave the water-type a sad look. "I'm really sorry about this…"

"**Brrrrrrrr," **Gyarados rubbed his face against the girl gently before allowing himself to be returned in a flash of red light.

Carrie let out a groan as she followed alongside her father. "Really stupid rules…"

"W-Wait, are parents supposed to be with their kids for the orientation?" I asked nervously.

Both of them froze and turned to me with apologetic looks, their lips twitching as they did everything in their power to _not _cringe. My shoulders simply sunk as a short sigh escaped my mouth, and I walked past them with a tired expression.

"Come on V, let's get through this orientation thing."

"_Uhh...yeah, okay."_

The fighting-type padded behind me as we headed to what we assumed was the auditorium for the school. When we entered, I found it was essentially the Gym's battlefield temporarily repurposed for a large gathering of people. From snack tables, to fold-up chairs lain in front of a large stage and podium, it was like Prof. Oak's summer camp all over again.

"_Hey, boss! We're getting some stares, y'know."_

"Hmm?" I blinked and tilted my head, noting that yes, there were several people staring at me with varying expressions of shock and awe. Most likely more relatives from the clan, or people who knew my parents. "V, people thought I was dead, of course they're gonna-"

"_No, not like __**that**__! I mean, sure there are some really old guys giving you this weird look like they're trying to read your mind or something," _Viggo shook his head before nodding towards a dark corner. "_I'm talking about __**them**_…"

I sweatdropped at the jackal-like Pokémon's remark before looking to where he was motioning me towards. The corner itself was darkened, but...it was almost artificial, like somebody had made _that _specific spot dark on purpose. And there was just an itching at the back of my neck that told me somebody was watching me from there.

Apparently the fact that V and I were looking meant that the jig was up, because the darkness quickly dissipated as a Hydreigon slithered out of the shadows. The dark-type was followed by two redheads, one of whom I assumed was it's trainer. Both of them were staring at me in a way that chilled me to the bone.

The first was a boy around my age, with curly red hair, gold-colored eyes, and the obvious pasty skin and freckles. He was also dressed as a vampire, and I don't mean that as some passing joke, because his clothes were literally what you would see on a vampire. A fancy red suit with a frilly undershirt, leather pants that were overtaken by large boots, and he even wore an amulet with a bright red oval gem decorating his neck.

If the kid was ginger Dracula, then the man who could only be his father must have been Frankenstein's Monster. He was half-bald, with what remained of his red hair going down to his shoulders, and his head was borderline banana shape ending in a cleft chin, his already pale skin had a slight greenish tint, and I swore the whites of his eyes almost looked yellowish beneath the lighting of the auditorium. Instead of some vampire aesthetic like his son he went for a more medieval look, donning leather armor with spiked pauldrons and boots.

"You noticed us even though we hid in the shadows," Frankenstein mused with a suave, british-sounding voice as his dark-dragon coiled at his feet. "Tell me, how could you tell we were there?"

"My Riolu could sense your Aura, and he notified me about it," I furrowed my brows as Dracula clicked his teeth. "Also, a shadow that dark is way too over the top, even in a dark corner. I've dealt with plenty of strong dark-types to know that."

"_It's only just the one," _Viggo deadpanned to me with singular telepathy. "_Unless you have some stories from your camp-"_

"Fascinating! You're much sharper than you appear to be…" the balding ginger leaned forward with a toothy sneer. "Just like your mother, bless her soul."

"...You knew my mom?"

"Knew is a _strong _way to put it. She and I would regularly get into childish squabbles, of which I was more often the victor...until I wasn't, of course," Frankenstein put his hands on his son's shoulders and smiled. "My name is Ruber Grimborn, and this is my son, Lucas. A pleasure to see you alive and well, Jareth Blackthorn."

"...So, rival then? And I can imagine my mom never took it seriously?" I pursed my lips as Ruber's smile fell just a bit. "Well, I can assure you that I'm not going to be prone to making the same mistakes my mother did...probably…"

"Mistake?" the balding man cocked an eyebrow at me before smirking. "Oho, you're quite amusing, Jareth. I'm certain you'll provide interesting company for Lucas."

"I guess...if I get around to it," I said nervously.

"You were the one they were talking about a few months ago, correct?" Lucas spoke up, revealing an almost velvet sweet voice that nearly made me shiver. "You saved Rei from that stupid girl's Gyarados, didn't you?"

"Uhh...yeah, I did...obviously not without some collateral damage," I motioned to my broken arm and gave them a strained smile. "But hey, I found out I was a Blackthorn, so everything turned out for the best, huh?"

"And I'm ever so grateful for _that_," Lucas did mock bow as a half-sneer tugged at his lips. "After all, Rei is quite important to me, and I'd be absolutely _heartbroken_ if she had died. That'd be two less things to amuse me."

"Hehe...wait, what do you mean 'two things'?"

"I think you already _know _what I mean, Jareth," the boy let out a perverse chuckle at my initial confusion, causing bile to well up in my throat. "I do hope to see you in class...though one wonders how you'll do on written exams, for _obvious _reasons."

I chewed the inside of my cheek at the clear dig at my injuries, and made an attempt at an underhanded retort. Any further conversation cut off when the two walked off, their dragon-type following along stealthily as he slithered through the air.

"It was a pleasure to truly meet you, young Jareth," Ruber said offhandedly. "I can only wonder how entertaining my son's school life will be with you around."

Once I was sure they were out of earshot, I clicked my teeth angrily. "What a pair of dicks," I tilted my head to my starter. "Hey, did those two scream 'evil', or what?"

"_You're assuming I didn't gleam that off from their Aura...also, 'evil' might be a stretch," _Viggo shrugged. "_Their Aura wasn't 'evil', more of just general asshole-ishness. I've felt __**evil **__Aura before, and you know where."_

"R-Right...still, talking about _that_, really?"

"_Wait, what's got you pissed off?"_

"Well, he called my second cousin stupid, and then he mentioned he only liked Rei because of her breasts," I felt my free hand clench into a fist. "Not only does the first thing infuriate me, but the second really grinds my gears."

"_What, really? You've admitted to being a total perv!"_

"Yeah, but I'm a normal 13-year-old boy, and I have something called 'restraint'. That ginger nut didn't even mention who she is as a person...I mean, we haven't seen much of that either, but she's not _mean _or anything," I gave the fighting-type a sideways glance. "Also, me a pervert? Mister 'massive dohoonkabhankoloos'?"

"_I was doing a meme thing! Don't judge me!" _

"Yeah, figured that was what was going on there," I said boredly. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Clair walking across the stage in front of several Clan officials, no doubt to give a speech. "I think this is the part where I start paying attention."

"_You're supposed to pay attention in school?" _Viggo asked owlishly. "_I just sorta tuned stuff out whenever my mentors were going on about boring stuff."_

"...Okay, I'm gonna need to really help you out during training," I said exasperatedly.

Clair tapped the mic slightly before it turned on, and flinched at the loud mechanical screeching as it came to life. "Alright, that's...annoying...so, I wanna make sure this thing _really _works, so...if your name is Micheal or Michelle, please stand up," the bluenette pursed her lips as several people seated stood up in confusion. "Sweet! That concludes my Mike check."

I snorted, along with most of the crowd, as the Mikes sat back down. "Oh man, that was good…"

"_Ah, so it's genetic." _

"So, as you all know, we have a lot of new students, some of whom are only here for the temporary curriculum."

Please don't shine a light on me! Please don't shine a spotlight on me!

"And for the new students specifically, I know it can be a bit embarrassing, especially if you feel as though you're 'too experienced' for remedial lessons on dragon taming, or you think you have everything handled," Clair's eyes darted icily to Lucas and his father for a split second, then to me with an exasperated look, before she continued. "But I promise, this isn't _just _a boring and obligatory class. The lessons you learn here, even for just a brief period, go back for centuries."

Clair stood up straight and set the crowd of young trainers and trainers to be with a fierce expression. "All of you are our Clan's legacy, the younger generation, and what we're going to teach you _will_ be things you need to know," the bluenette chewed the inside of her lip for a few seconds before sighing. "Whether for better or for worse."

Many of the adults stood up and applauded, ignoring their nervous children. Behind her, several of the Clan elders were nodding to Clair in approval at her speech. I stood at the far back with a strained smile as my cousin stepped off the stage to several fellow clansmen hounding her.

"_What was up with that last part of the speech anyway?"_

"Oh, that's cause there was this big war a few decades ago," I tilted my head at the fighting-type. "What, you do remember that, right?"

"_I never had __**history **__lessons, man!" _Viggo wheezed out. "_I just had boring stuff, like 'how to harness your internal core energy' or 'produce waves of nthory blue' or stuff like that."_

"Well, there was a big war a few decades ago, and while the core armies were duking it out, the people still back home here in Blackthorn were besieged by a rival clan," I put a finger to my chin and hummed thoughtfully. "I don't actually know what it was all about, but tensions are still really high, and Dragon Taming school probably covers combat for that reason."

"_Helix, that's...dark…" _the fighting-type folded his arms as a contemplative look spread across his face. "_Hey, you said rival clan, right? Do...do you think that has anything to do with your parents?"_

"...I'd have to ask Clair, and I doubt she'd tell me," I said offhandedly as I began walking away from the crowd.

"_So what do you think the first lesson is gonna be?"_

"Written exam...with my luck that is."

"_Oh...ohohohohh…" _Viggo shrunk in place as he eyed my still broken arm. "_Yeah, that's probably gonna be an issue."_

"Not really, I'm ambidextrous," I held my left hand up and wiggled my fingers. "So I should be good."

"_We didn't really get into any wacky shenanigans or zany hijinks this time…"_

"Eh, next time will be better...probably."

* * *

**And with that, our hero's temporary stop begins, as young Jareth acclimates to his new life within the Blackthorn Clan. Only Arceus knows what strange conundrum he'll find himself mixed up in next.**

* * *

**Trainer Name: Jareth Blackthorn**

**Pokémon team:**

**Viggo (Riolu):**

**Known moves: Aura Sphere, Screech, Quick Attack, Force Palm, Shadow Claw, Bullet Punch, Mind Reader, Meteor Mash, Blaze Kick, Vacuum Wave, High Jump Kick, Drain Punch.**

**Maggie (Misdreavus):**

**Known moves: Astonish, Confuse Ray, Psywave, Telekinesis, Sucker Punch, Ominous Wind, Screech, Spite, Nasty Plot, Shadow Sneak, Curse, Memento, Psychic, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, Mean Look, Hex.**

**Calypso/Callie (Horsea):**

**Known moves: Bubble, Smokescreen, Leer, Water Gun, Dragon Rage.**

**At home:**

**Dragonite, inherited from late mother (Shiny, Crippled): Moves unknown**

**Gyarados, inherited from late mother (Crippled): **

**Known moves: Brine**

* * *

***Literally half of the outfits David Bowie wore while playing Jareth in Labyrinth. **

**One done, and after this a short break and focus on FnR. Now, onto the reviews!**

**Flygar: Not even close, Ruber has nothing to do with it. If you're a man of nostalgia, you'll recognize where I pulled him from.**

**coldblue2015: He hasn't trained to use Aura at all, so there's not really much for him to tell his cousin. Dreepy could probably sense Giratina's presence, but they wouldn't know if somebody has encountered him or not unless they had been in physical contact with Giratina. As for Caitlyn...I think you can see what happened there. Finally, I have 3 rivals planned out for Jareth: One is Lucas up there in the last bit, the other is a female who will be his serious rival/another _nother _love interest, and the other one will probably just be Paul, because everybody drags Paul into things for some reason so I thought 'eh, why the hell not?'.**

**verycoolname: Noodle incident...well, right up until it's _too late _(*Ominous organ riff*)**

**lazyguy90: You'll see plenty of the clan politics in chapter...eh, 9-ish, I guess. **

**Jackal(guest): It literally states in their dex entries that Dragonite can circle the globe in under 16 hours. You see them flapping them in the Anime. **

**teodo: Yes, but I'm dead on the inside T_T**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing, please leave any thoughts, questions, and constructive c****riticism in your reviews.**


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